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THE GENERAL
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY.
A NEW EDITION.
VOL.X.
-y^— »«
Printed by NicH«ur> Son, ami BENTUnr,
Red LdOQ PasBa£^e, Fleet Street, London*
i
tHE GENERAL
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY :
• CONTAINING
AN HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL ACCOUNT
or THE
LIVES AND WRITINGS
OP TBB
MOST EMINENT PERSONS
IN EVERY NATION;
PARTICULARLY THE BRITISH AND HUSH;
FROM THE EARLIEST ACCOUNTS TO THE FRESEMT TIME.
A NEW EDFTION,
REVISED AND ENU^ROED BY
ALEXANDER CHALMERS, F. S. A.
VOL. X
LONDON:
rUNTBO rOR J. NICHOLS AND SON ; F. C. AND J. RITINOTON ; T. PAYNB }
0TB1D6B AND SON ; G. AND W. NICOL ; WILKf K AND ROBINSON | J. WALKER ;
R. LRA ; W. LOWNDES; WHITE, COCHRANE, AND CO.; J. DEIOHTON;
T. BGERTON ; LACKINGTON, ALLEN, AND C6. ; J. CARPENTER; LONGMAN,
HURST, REES, 6rMB^ AND BROWN; CADELL ANDDAVIES ; C. LAW ; J. BOOKER ;
J. CUTHBLL; CLARKE AND SONS; J. AND A. ARCH; J. HARRI^j BLACK,
rARRY, AMD CO.; J. BOOTH ; J, M AWMAN ; GALE, CURTIS, AND FENNER;
R. H. EVANS ; J. HATCHARD; J. HAMMffG | Rr'MABWlN ; J. MURRAY; J. JOHN-
SON AND CO. ; B. BBNTLST | AND J. FAULDBR,
1813.
1
A NEW AND GENERAL
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY-
V/OKE (Sir Sdwarp), lord chief-justice of England^
and one of the most eminent lawyers this kingdom haa
produced, was descaided from an ancient family in Nor-
folk, and born at Mileham, in that county, 1549^ Hb
father was Robert Coke, esq. of AfUeham; his mother,
Winifred, daughter and coheire^sa; ii^.^!^4B^n^ Knightley,
of Margrave Knightley, in No£mll;^irAt:^*i^|iip.years of age
he was sent to a free-school at ft^Hnic)^; and from thence
removed to Trinity-college, in yibnUddgie. ^He remained
in the university about four yeari^yiiQk4^'^^i¥^j^' from thence
to Ciifford's-inn, in London ; anchuj^ |^^ ^^^ ^^* *'*-
tered a student of the Inner Temple. We are told that the
first proof he gave of the quickness of his penetration, and
the solidity of his judgment, was his stating the cook*s case
of the Temple, which it seems had puzzled the whole
house, so clearly and exactly, that it was taken notice of
and admired by the bench. It is not at all improbable
that this might promote his being called early to the bar,
at the end of six years, which in those strict times was
•held very extraordinary. He himself has informed us that
the first cause he moved in the King's-bench, was ia
Trinity-term, 1578, when he was counsel for Mr. Edward
Denny, vicar of Nortbingham, in Norfolk, in an action of
scandalum magnatum, brought against him by Henry lord
Cromwell. About this time he was appointed reader of
Lyon*s-inn, when his learned lectures were much attended^
for three years. His reputation increased so fast, and
with it his practice^ that when he had been at the bar but
Vol. X, B
« C t> K £•
a few years, he thought himself in a condition to pretend
to a lady of one of the best families, and at the same time
of the best fortune in Norfolk, Bridget^ daughter and co«
heiress of John Preston, esq. whom he soon married, and
with whom he had in all about 30,000/.
After this marriage^ by which he became allied to some
of the' noblest houses in the kingdom, preferments flowed
in upon him apace. The cities of Coventry and Norwich
choice him their recorder ; the county of Norfolk,, one of
their knights in parliament^ and the house of commons^
their speaker, in the thirty-fifth year of queen Elizabeth.
The queen likewise appointed him solicitor-general, in
1592, and attorney- general the year following. Some
time after, he lost his wife, by whom he had ten children ;
and in 1598 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas
Jord Burleigh, afterwards earl of Exeter, and relict of sir
William Hatton. As this marriage Was the source of many
troubles to both parties, so the very celebration of it occa-
sioned no small noise and disquiet, by an unfortunate cir-
isnmstance that attended it. There had been the same
year so much notice taken of irregular marriages, that
luiihbishop Whitgift had signified to th(B bishops of his pro-
vince to prosecute strictly all that should either offend in point
4}f time, place, or form. Whether Coke looked upon his
own or the lady's quality,^ and their being married with tine
conient of the family, as placing them above such restrie*
tions, or whether he did not advert to them, it is certain
that they were married in a pi-ivate house, without either
banns or license; upon which he and his new married lady^
the minister who officiated, Thomas lord Burleigh, and
aeveral other persons, were prosecuted in the archUshop'^s
court; but upon their submission by their proities^were
absolved from excommunication, and the penalties conse«
quent upon it, because, says the record, they had offended^
xiot out of contumacy, but through ignorance of the l^vf
in that point. The affair of greatest moment, in which, as
attorney-general, he had a share in this reign, was the
prosecution of the earls of Essex and Southampton, who
were brought to ^the bar in Westminster-hall, before the
lords commissioned for their trial, Feb. 19, 1600. After
h% had laid open the nature df the treason, and the many
obligations the earl of Essex was under to the queen> be
is satd to have closed with these words, that, <* by the
just- judgment of God^ he of his earldom should be Ro-
c OK fi* i,
bert the last^ that qf . a kiDgdoin thought to h6 Robert the
first.'' .
In May I603| he was knighted by kiog. James ; aoid the
same year managed the trial of sir W. Raleigh, at.Winr
chester, whither the term was adjourned, on aqcount of
the plague being at London; but he lessened htm^df
greatly in the opinion of the world, by his treatment oi
that unfortunate gentleman ; as he employed a coarse and
scurrilous language against him hardly to be paralieledL
I'he resentment of the public was so great upon this occar
sion, that as has been generally believed, Shakspeare, ia
bis comedy of the *^ Twelfth Night,'* hints at this strange
behaviour of sir Edward Coke at Raleigh's triaL He was
likewise reproached with this indecent behaviour in a letter
which sir Francis Bacon wrote to him after his own fall ;
wherein we have the following passage : ^^ As your pleadings
were wont to insult our misery, an.d inveigh literally
against the person, so are you still careless in this point
to praise and disgrace upon slight grounds, and that sud***
denly ; so that your reproofs or commendations are for the
most part neglected and contemned, when the censure of
a judge, coming slow, but sure, should be a brand to the
guilty, and a crown to the virtuous. You will jest at any
man in public, without any respect to the person's dignity^
or your own* This disgraces your gravity more than it
can advance the opinion of your wit ; and so do all yout
actions, which we see you do directly with a touch of vain-'
glory. You make the laws too much lean to your opinion ;
whereby you shew yourself to be a legal tyrant, &c." Ja^
Quary.$S7, 1906, at the trial of the gun*powder conspira*
tors, and March 28 following, at the tpal of the Jesuit
Garnet, he made two very elaborate speeches, which were
soon after published in a book entitled <^ A true and per«
•feet relation of the whole Proceedings against the late most
barbarous traitors^ Garnet, a Jesuit, and his confederates,
&c.'' 1606, 4to^ Cecil earl of Salisbury,, observed in bit
speech upon the latter trial, ^^ that the evidence had been
SQ ^ell distributed and > opened by the attorney-general^
that he bad never heard such a mass of matter better con«
tracted, nor made more intelligible to the jury." This
appears to have been really true ; so true, that many to
this day eateem this last jspeech, especially, his master*
piece.
B 2
4 C O Ht.
It was probably in reward for this service, that be w^
appointed lord chief justice of the common-pleas the sam^
year. The motto he gave upon his rings^ when he wa»
called to the degree of serjeant^ in order to qualify him for
this promotion, was, '^ Lex est tutissima cassis ;*' that is,
^^Tbe law is the safest helmet/* Oct. 25, 1613, he was
made lord chief justice of the king*s*bench ; and in Nov.
was sworn of his majesty's p^ivy-council. In 1615 the
king deliberating upon the choice of a lord- chancellor,
when that post should become vacant, by the death or re-
signation of Egerton lord EUesmere, sir Francis Bacon
wrote to his majesty a letter upon that subject, wherein
he has the following passage, relating to the lord chief-
justice : '^ If you take my lord Coke, Uiis will follow: First,
your majesty shall put an over-ruling nature into an over-
ruling place, which may breed an extreme. Next, you
shall blunt his industries in matter of finances, which
seemeth to aim at another place. And lastly, popular menT
are no sure mounters for your majesty's saddle.** The
disputes and animosities between these two great men are
19 A\ known. They seem to have been personal ; and they
lasted to the end of their lives. Coke was jealous of Ba-
con's reputation in many parts of knowledge ; by whobi,
again, he was envied for the high reputation he had ac-
quired in one ; each aiming to be admired particularly in
that in which the other excelled. Coke was the greatest
lawyer of his time, but could be nothing more. If Bacon
was not so, we can ascribe it only to his aiming at a more
exalted character ; not being able^ or at least not willing,
to confine the universality of his genius within one inferior
province of learning.
Sir Thomas Overbury's murder in the Tower now broke
out, at the distance of two years after ; for Overbury died
JSept. 16, 1613, and the judicial proceedings against bis
murderers did not commence till Sept. 1615. In this af-
fair sir Edward acted with great vigour, and, as some
think, in a manner highly to be commended ; yet his ene-
mies, who were numerous, and had formed a desi^^ to
bumble his pride and insolence, took occasion, from cer-
tain circumstances, to misrepresent him both to the king
and people. Many circumstances concurred at this time
to hasten his fall. He was led to oppose the king in a dis-
pute relating to his power of granting commendams, and
J^aines did not cbopse to bave bis prerogative disputed,
COKE. ff
even in cases where it might well be questioned. He had
a contest with the l6rd chancellor Egerton, in which it is
universally allowed that he wal» much to be blamed. Sir
Edward, as a certain historian informs us, had heard and
determined a case at common law ; after which it was re*
ported that there had been juggling. The defendant, it
seems, had prevailed with the plaintiff's principal witness
not to attend, or to give any evidence in the cause, pro*
vided he could be excused. One of the defendant's agents
undertakes to excuse him ; and carrying the man to a ta-
vern, called for a gallon of sack in a vessel, and bid him
drink. As soon as he had laid his lips to the flaggon, the
defendant's agent quitted the room. When this witness
was called, the court was informed that he wias unable to
come ; to prove which, this agent was produced, who de«
))osed, <' that he left him in such a condition, that if he
continued in it but a quarter of an hour, he was a dead
, jnan." For want of this person's testimony the cause was
lost, and a verdict given for the defendant. The plaintifls^
Ending themselves injured, carried the business into chan-
cery for relief ; but the defendants, having had judgment
at common law, refused to obey the orders of that court.
Upon this, the lord chancellor commits them to prison for
contempt of the court : they petition against him in the
star-chamber; the lord chief justice Coke joins with theip^
foments the difference, and threatens the lord chancellor
with a praemunire. The chancellor makes the king ac*
quaiuted with the business, who, after consulting sir Fran*
^is Bacon, then his attorney, and some other la^vyers upon
the affair, justified the lord chancellor, and gave a proper
rebuke to Coke.
Roger Coke gives us a different account of the occasion
of the chief justice's being in disgrace ; and informs us,
that he was one of the first who felt the effects of the
power of the rising favourite, Villiers, afterwards duke of
Buckingham* The author of the notes on Wilson's ^< Life
of James," published in the second volume of Keunet's
" Complete History of England," tells us " that sir Ed-
ward lost the king's favour, and some time after his place,
for letting fall some words upon one of the trials, import-
ing his suspicion that Overbury had been poisoned to pre-
vent the discovery of another crime of the same nature,
committed upon one of the highest rank, whom he termed
a sweet prince 5 which was taken to be meant of princt
« COKE.
Henry." Whatever were the causes of his disgrace, whicK
it is probable were many, he was brought upon his knees
before the council at Whitehall, June 1616; and offences
were charged upon him by Yelverton, the solicitor^general,
implying, amongst other things, speeches of high contempt
uttered in the seat of justice, and uncomely and unduiiful
carriage in the presence of his majesty, " the privy coun-
cil, and judges.^' Soon after, he presented himself again
at the council-table upon his knees, when secretary Win*
wood informed him, that report had been made to his ma-
jesty of what had passed there before, together with the
answer that he had given, and that too in the most favour-
able manner; that his majesty was no ways satisfied with
respect to any of the heads ; but that notwithstanding, as
well out of his own clemency, as in regard to the formei'
services of his lordship, the king was pleased not to deal
heavily with him : and therefore had decreed, 1. That he
be sequestered from the council-table, until his majesty's •
pleasure be further known. 2. That he forbear to ride his
summer circuit as justice of assize. 3. That during this
vacation, while he had time to live privately and dispose
himself at home, be take into his consideration and revievr
his books of Reports ; wherein, as his majesty is informed,
be many extravagant and exorbitant opinions set down and
published for positive and good law : and if, in reviewing
aiid reading thereof, he find any thing fit to be altered or
ameaded, the correction is left to his discretion. Aoiong
other things, the king was not well pleased with the title or
those books, wherein he styled himself *^ lord chief justice
of England,^' whereas he could challenge no more but lord
chief justice of the King's-bench. And having corrected
what in bis discretion he found meet in these Reports, his
mstjesty^s pleasure was, he should bring the same privatefy to
himself, diat he might consider thereof, as in his princely
judgment should be found expedient*. Hereunto Mn
secretary advised him to conform himself in all duty au4
obedience, as he ought ; whereby he might hope that hi^
majesty in time would receive him again to his gracious
and princely favour. To this the lord chief justice made
•
* It does not, however, appear that courts), made some exceptions to Um
lord Coke thought it necessary to make Reports now extant in print, and to
any alteration in his Reports ; but it is which lord Coke made some replies, a(|
observable that lord chancellor Eltes- of which are to be found in the Sloan iaii
mere (with whom lord Coke had had collection of MSS. in the British VL\k»
some difference of opinion with respect seom. — ' Bridgman's Legal Bibliogriiir
ta tbe jurisdiQtioa of theif respective pby.
COKE. T
iaswer^ tbat te did in all hudiility prostrate bimself to Iria
majesty 'a good jileasure ; that he acknowledged, that dj^
cr^e to be jost^ and proceeded rather from his majesty'^
exceeding. mercy than his justice ; gave bumble thank$ ^
their lordships for their goodness towards him ; ai^d boped
that bis behaviour for the future would be such is would
deserve their lordships^ favours. From which answer of
sir Edward^s weniay learn that b^ was, as such men alwa^ys
are^ as dejected and fawning in adversity, as be was insor
lent and overbearing in prosperity.; the same meannei^s
and poorness of spirit influencing his behaviour in both
conditions.
In October be was called before the chanceUor^ and
forbid Westminster-hall ; and also ordered to answer seve^
ral exceptions against bis Repoi^ts. In November tfae king
removed him from the office of lord chief justice. Upoti
his disgrace, sir Francis Bacon wrote him an admonitory
.letter, in which, he remonstrates to him several . errors in
his former behaviour and conduct. We have made a cita^
tion from this letter already ; we will here give the remain* ,
der of it : for though perhaps it was. not very generous in
Bacoa to write such a letter at such a season, even to a
professed adversary, yet it wUl, serve to illustraite the cha>* ^
racter and manners of Coke. In this letter Bacon advised
sir Edward to be humbled for this visitation; and observes^
^^ that affliction only Ibvels the molehills of pride in ui^
ploughs up the heart, and makes it fit for wisdom to 90^
ber seed, and grace to bring forth her increase.'' He
afterwards points out to him some errors in hia conduct
^* In discourse," says he, ^^ you delight to speak too muoh^
not to hear other men. This, some say, becomes a
pleader, not a judge, ^or by this sometimes your afiec^
tions are entangled with a love of your own arguments,
though they be the weaker ; and with rejecting of those
which, when your affections were settled, your own judg>.
ment would allow for strongest. Thus, While you speak
in your element, the law, no man ordinarily ecjuals: you ;
but when you wander, as you often delight to do, .yoiithen
wander indeed, and never give such satisfaction as the
curious time requires. This is not caused by any natural
defect^ but first for want of election ; when you, having a
large and frnitfiri mind, Aould not so much labour what to
i^eak, as to find what to leave unspoken. Rich soils are
«ften to be weeded. S^ondly, you clay your, auditor;^
». COKE.
When yoa would be observed, speech must be eithe? swmt
or short Thirdly, you converse with books, not men^
and books specially humane ; and have no excellent choice
with men, who are the best books. For a man oi acticMi
and employment you seldoih converse with, and then but
with underlings ; not freely, but as a schoolmaster, ever
to teach, never to learn. But if sometimes you would in
your familiar discourse hear others, and make election of
fiuch ias knew what they ,speak, you should know many of
those tales, which you tell, to be but ordinary ; and many
other things, which you delight to repeat and serve in for
novelties, to be but stale. As in your pleadings you were
wont to insult even misery, and inveigh bitterly against
the person ; so are you still careless in this point,'' &c.
'^ Your too much love of the world is too much seen, whea
having the living of 10,000/. you relieve few or none. The
hand that hath taken so much, can it give so little ? Herein
you shew no bowels of compassion, as if you. thought all
too little for yourself, or that God had given you all that
you have, only to that end you should still gather more,
and never be satisfied, but try how much you could gather,
to account for all at the great and general audit day. We
desire you to amend this, and let your poor tenants ia
^orfoft find some comfort, where nothing of your estate
is spent towards their relief,, but all brought up hither to
the impoverishing your country.'' He then tells him,
*^ that in the case of Overbury he used too many delays, till
the delinquent's hands were loose, and his own bound;
and that he was too open in his proceedings, and so taught
them how to defend themselves. But that," continues he,
-^^ which we commend you for, are those excellent parts. of
nature and knowledge in the law, which you are endued
withal. But these are only good in their good use.
V Wherefore we thank you heartily .for standing stoutly in
the commonwealth's behalf; hoping, it proceedeth not
from a disposition to oppose greatness, as your enemies
say, but to do justice, and deliver truth indifferently with*
out respect of persons."
Low as sir Elidward was fallen, he was afterwards restored
to credit and favour ; the first step to which was, his pro^
posing a match between the earl of Buckingham's elder
brother, sir John Villiers, and his younger daughter by the
lady Hatton : for he knew no other way of gaining that
fiivourite. This; however, occasioned a violent disputo^
C 0 K fi. «
inA quarrel between sir Edward and bis wife; wbo, tB"
senting ber husband^s attempt to dispose of ber daughter
without asking her leave, carried away the young lady, and
lodged her at sir Edmund Wttbipole^s bouse near Oatlands.
Upon this, i»ir Edward wrote immediately to the earl of
Buclingbam, to procure a warrant from the privy^-council
to restore bis daughter to him ; but before be received an
answer, discovering where she was, he went with his sons
and took bisr by force, which occasioned lady Hatton to
complain in her turn toih6 privy council. Much confu*-
flion followed ; and this private match became at length an
affair ^f ^te. The differences were at length made up»
in appearance at least, Sept. 1617; sir Edward was re*
store4 to favour, and reinstated in his place as privy^coun^*
dllor ; and sir John Villiers was married to Mfs. Frances
Coke at Hampton-court, with all the splendour imaginable^
This wedding, however, cost sir Edward deftr. For besides
10,000/. paid in money at two payments, he and his son
sir Robert did, pursuant to articles and directions of the
lords of the council, assure to sir John Villiers a rent*charge
of 2000. marks per annum during sir Edward's life, and of
900L a year during the lady Ration's life, if she survived
faer husband; and after both their deaths, the manor of
Stoke in Buckinghamshire, of the value of 900/. per an«
num, to sir John Villiers and his lady, and to the heirs of
ber body. The same were settled by good conveyances
carefully drawn the January following, and certified to his
majesty under the hands of two seijeants and the attorney*
general. • All this time the quarrel subsisted between htm
and bis wife: and many letters are still extant, which
shew a great deal of beat and resentment in both parties.
At the time of the marriage lady Hatton was confined at
the complaint of her husband : for, since her marriage^
she had purchased the island and castle of Purbeck, and
several other estates in different counties ; which made her
greatly independent of her husband. However, their re*
conciliation was afterwards effected, but not till July 1621,
and then by no less a mediator than the king.
A parliament was summoned, and met January 1621 ;
and in February there was a great debate in the bouse of
commons upon several points of importance^ such as li-,
berty of speech, the increase of popery, and other griev*
ances. Sir .Edward Coke was a member, and his age,
fxperi^Qce; and dignity ga?e bim great weight there : bu^
10 c o I?: E.
it very' soon appeared that be resolved to act a diflfereni
part from what the courts and more especially the giceal
favourite Buckingham, expected. He spoke very warmly;
and also took occasion to shew, that proclam^tiona against
the tenor of acts of parliament were void : fox which he is
highly commended by Camden. The.bouse^, being ad«
journed by the king^s command in June, met again in No<r
vember ; and fell into great heats about the. commitment
of sir Edwin Sands, soon after their adjournment^ whieh
bad such unfortunate consequences, that the commoBS
pro^sted, Dec. 18, against the invasion of their privileges
The king prorogued the parliament upon the 2ist ; and on
the 27th, sir Edward Coke wa^ committed u> tbe Tower^
his chambers in the Temple broke open, and bis papers
delivered to sir Robert Cotton and Mr. WiUon to ftxamin&
January 6, 1622, the parliament was dbsolved; and the
same day sir Edward was charged before the council with
having concealed some true examinations in the great
cause of the earl of Somerset, and obtruding false ones:
nevertheless, he was soon after released, but not without
receiving high marks of the king's resentment: for he was
a second time turned out of the king's privy-coiincil,' the
king 'giving him this character, that '' he was the fittest
instrument for a tyrant that ever was in England**' Ancil
yet, says Wilson, in the house he called the king's pre*
rogative an overgrown monster. Towards the close of
1623 he was nominated, with several others, to whom large
powers were given, to go over to Ireland ; which nominal
tion, though accompanied with high expressions of kindr
ness and confidence, was made with no other view but ta
get him out of the way for fear he should be troublesome^
but he remained firm in his opinions, nor does it appear
that he ever sought to be reconciled to the court ; so that
he was absolutely out of favour at the death of king James*.
In the beginning of the next reign, when it was found
necessary to call a second parliament, he was pricked for -^
sheriff of Bucks in 1625, to prevent his being chosen* He
laboured all he could to avoid it, but in vain ; .so. that, be
was obliged to serve the office, and to attend the judges at
the assizes, where he had often presided as lord xbief
justice. This did not hinder his being elected knight of
the shire for Bucks in the parliament of 1628, in which he
distinguished himself more than any man in the house of
commons, spoke warmly for the redress of |;rievance8>
COKE. II
Argued boldly in defence of the liberty of the subject, and
sirequousiy supported the privilege of the house. It was
he that proposed and framed the petition of rights ; and^
June 1628, he made a speech, in which he named the
duke of Buckingham as the cause of all our mberie%
though, lord Clarendon tells us, he had before blasphemously
vtyled him the saviour of the nation ; but although there is
no great reason to conclude that all this opposition to the
arbitrary measures of die court flowed from any pr inciplea
of patriotism, he became for a time the idol of the party
in opposition to the court, and his conduct at this time is
still mentioned with' veneration by their historians and ad«
vocates. Our own' opinion is, that although lord Coke
^0izs occasionally under the influence of temper or interest^
hie was, upon the whole, a more independent character than
his enemies will admit; After the dissolution of this par^
liatnent, which happened the March following, he retired
ta his house at Stoke Pogeys in Buckinghamshire, where
he apent the remainder of bis days; and there, Sept»
5^ 16S4, breathed his last in his eighty-sixth year, ex-
piring with these words in his mouth, as his monument in-
ibrma in, <^ Thy kingdom come ! thy will be done !''
While he lay upon his death*bed, sir Francis Windebank,
by an order oiiiouncil, came to search for seditious and
<ihingerouB papers ; by virtue whereof he took his '^ Com«
meutary upon Littleton," and the ^' History of his Life''
before it, written with his own hand, his ^' Commentary
upon Magn^ Cbarta, &c.*' the ^' Pleas of the Crown,*' and
the ^^ Jurisdiction of Courts,** his eleventh and twelfth
^< Reports*' in MS. and 51 other MS8. with the last will of
sir Edward, wherein he had been making provision for hia
younger grand<-children. The books and papers were kept
till seven years after, when one of his sons in 1641 moved
the house of commons, that the books and papers taken by
sir Francis Windebank might be delivered to sir Robert
Coke, heir of sir Edward ; which the king was pleased to
grant. Such of them as could be fpund were accordingly
delivered up, but the Y^ill was never heard of more.
Sir Edward Coke was in his person well-proportioned,
and his features regular. He was neat, but not nice, in
his dress : and is reported to have said, '' that the clean*
ness of a man's clothes ought to put him in mind oi keep-
ing tfU clean within." He had' great quickness of parts,
de0p peaetration^ a faithful memory, and a soUd judg^
If COKE.
ment. He was wont to say, that ^^ matter lay iii a littte
room;'* and in his pleadings ^e was concise, though in
0et speeches and in his writings too diffuse. He was cer-^
tainly a great master of his pr^ession^ as ^ven his enemies
allow; had studied it regularly, and was perfectly ac*
quainted with every thing relating to it. Hence he gained
ao high an esteem in Westminster^hall, and came to enjoy
so lai^e a share in the favour of the great lord Burleigbb
He valued himself, and indeed not without reason, upon
this, that he obtained all his preferments without emfrfoy-
ing either prayers or pence; and that he became the
•queen's solicitor, speaker of the house of comAnons, at^
tomey-general, chief justice of both benches, high-stew*
ard of Cambridge, and a member of the privy-council^
.without either begging or bribing. As he derived his for«
4;une, his credit, and his greatness, from the law, so he
loved it to a degree of intemperance. He . committed
every thing to writing with an industry beyond examjil^
9ind, as w^ shall relate just now, published a great deal.
•He met with many changes of fortune ; was sometimes ia
power, and sometimes in disgrace. He was, however, se
excellent at making the best of a disgracei that king James
used to compare him to a cat, who always fdli upon lier
legs. He was upon occasion a friend to the church, and
clergy : and thus, when he had lost his public employ*
ments, and a great peer was inclined to question the rights
of the church of Norwich, he hindered it, by telling him
plsuiily, that ^' if be proceeded, he would put on his cap
and gown again, and follow the cause through Westmin*
ster-ball.V He had many benefices in bis own patronage,
which he is said to have given freely to men of merit;
declaring in his law language, that be would have law
livings pass by livery and seisin, and not by bargain and
sale.
^' His learned and laborious works on the laws,*' says a
certain author, ^^ will be admired by judicious posterity^
while Fame has a trumpet left her, or any breath to. blow
therein.'* Tt^is is indisputably a just character of his writ*
ings in general : the particulars of which are as follow*
About 1600 were published, in folio^ the first part of the
y' Reports of sir Edward Coke, knt. her majesty's attorney^
general, of divers resolutions and judgmentis given^ witii
great deliberation by the reverend judges and sages of the
law» of cases and matters in law, which were never resolved
COKE.. IS
•r adjudged before : and the xeasons and causes of the said
resolutions and judgments during the most happy reign of
the most illustrious and renowned queen Elizabeth, the
fountain of all justice, and the life of the law.'' The second,
third, and so on to the eleventh part of the ^* Reports'*
were all published by himself in the reign of James I. The
twelfth part of his Reports has a certificate printed before
it, dated Feb. 2, 1655, and subscribed E. Bulstrod; sig*
nifyingj that he conceives it to be the genuine woric of sir
Edward Coke. The title of the thirteenth part is, ** Se<*
lect cases in law, reported by sir Edward Coke ;" and these
are asserted to be his in a preface signed witib the initials
J.G,
• All these Reports have been uniformly received by our
courts with the utmost deference; and as a mark of distin-
guished eminence, they are frequently cited as, 1, 2, 3, &c.
Rep. without mentioning the author's name, and in his own
writings they are usually described as Lib. 1, 2, 3, &c« There
have been many editions of these Reports, the last in 1776,
in 7 vols. 8vo, by Wilson. They have also been abstractedly
versified in an Svo volume, 1742, in a very curious manner,
for the help of the memory, and the method seems to have
been recommended by the practice of lord Coke himsel£
* In 1614 there was published, ^^ A speech and charge at
Norwich a^iizes," intended to pass for sir Edward Coke's ;
but he clearly ^disclaims it, in the preface to the seventh
part of his Reports. He did indeed make a speech at that
time^ and in some measure to this purpose ; but these notef
of it were gathered and published without his knowledge
in a very incorrect and miserable manner, and published
with a design to prejudice and expose bim. In 1614 was
published in folio, '< A book of entries, containing perfect
and approved precedents of courts, declarations^ informal
tions, plaints, indictments, bars, duplic^ions, rejoinders,
pleadings, processes, continuances, essoigns, issues, de-
iaults', departure in despigbt of the court, demurrers, trials,
judgments, executions, and all other oiatters and proceed-
ings, in effect, concerning the practic part of the laws of
England, in actions real, personal, mixed, and in appeals :
being very necessary to be known, and of excellent use for
the modem practice of the law, many of them. containing
matters in law, and points of great learning ; collected afid
^published for the common good and benefit of all the stu-
dipi^ md learned professors of the laws of England.^.^
1« C OKlt.
t,
V
His ^^Institntes" are ^divided into four parls. Tli^ £fa(t
k the translation and comment upon the '^ Tenures of ^
Thomas Littleton/' oneof the judges of the cdmmon*?plea8
in the reign of Edward I V« It was published in bisr life^
time, in 1 628 ; but that edition was very incorrect Tberef
was a second published in 1629, said to be revised by the
author, and in which this work is much amended ; yetsevet*
ral mistakes remained even in that. The second part ,of
the '^ Institutes'' gives ns magna charta, and other select
statutes, in the languages in which they were first enacted,
and much more correct than they were to be had any wbei^
.else. He adds to these a cpmmentary full of .eiEcelliept
learning, wherein he shews how the common law stood be^
fore those statbtes we're made, how far they are introdac*
tbry of new laws, and how far declaratory of the. old ; what
were the causes of making them, to what ends they were madey
and in what degree, at the time of his writing, they were
either altered or repealed. The third part of the ^^ InstU
lutes'' contains the criminal law or pleas of the crown :
where, among other things, he shews, in regard to pardons
and restitutions, how far the king may proceed by his pre*
rogative, and where the assistance of parliament is neces^
sary. The fourth part of the *J Institutes" comprehends
the jurisdiction of all the courts in this kingdom, from the
high court of parliament down to the court-baron. This
part not being published till after his decease, there are
many inaccuracies and some greater faults in it, which were
animadverted upon and amended in a book written by
William Prynne, esq. and published in 1669. The thir-
teenth,' fourteenth, and fifteenth editions of the '^ Insti-^
tutes,'' 1788, 1789, apd 1794, by Hargrave and Butler^ are
esteemed the best.
We have besides of his, 1. A treatise of Bail and Main*
prize, 1687, 4to. 2. Reading on the state of Fines, 27
£dw. I. French, 1662, 4to. 3. Complete Copyholder, 1640^
4to. There was added in another edition of this book
in 1650, 4to, Calthorpe's reading between a lord of a
manor and a copyholder his tenant, &c. And in the edi«
tions in 12mo, 1668 and 1673, there is a supplement ; but
a more complete specification of the various editions may
be found in Bridgman's " Legal Bibliography." *
1 Biog. Brit— Lloyd'B Worthies.— -Fuller's Worthies Lodge's niustrfttioniw
vol. III. — Seward's Anecdotes, vol. I. and Biographiana, vol. H.-^Archseologiay
vol. I. p. XX. — Roger Cake's Detection of the Court apd SUte of £B|flandy h9k
1697, 8vo. He wa» grandson of lord Coke,
COLARDEAU. IS
COLARDEAU (Charles Pbter), a French poet^ was
iiorn at Janvilie in the Orleanois in 1735, and was a rotairy
of the muses from his very infancy. He made bis first
appearance in the literary world in 1758, by a poetical
Iranslation of Pope's Eloisa to Abelard ; in which he was
said to have retained the warmth of the original, with the
richness of its images. His trag^i^es of Astarbe and Calisto^
the one performed in 1758, and the other in 1760, were
not.so successfoL The complexion of them is indeed sor-
rowfal, and even gloomy, but never tragical. The ^^ Tem-
ple of Gnidos^'^ and two of the " Nights" of Young, in
French verse, tlie epistle to M. Duhamel, and the poem of
Prometheus, which appeared afterwards, slt^ in general
versified in a soft and harmonious manner. The epistle to
M. Duharael, which is replete with rural descriptions and
sentiments of beneficence, has been ranked by many of its
enthusiastic admirers with the best epistles of Boiieav,
These several performances excited the attention of the
French academy towards the author, who elected him m
member atihe beginning of 1776 ; but before he had pro*
flounced his inaugural discourse, he was snatched away by
death, in the flower of his ag^, the 7 th of April in the same
year, after.hehad risen from his bed in a state of extreme
weakness, and burnt what he had written of a translation
of Tasso. This poet, who has so well described the charms
of nature in his poems, and who even understood the art
of drawing, yet in all the variety of colours saw only white
and black, and only the different combinations of light and
shade. This singular organization, however, di4 not wea«
ken the charms of his imagination. His works were coU
lected in two vol$. 8vo^ Paris, 1779, and have been i^nce
reprinted in l2mo. Among these is a comedy entitled
'' Les perfidies ^ la mode," in which are some agreeable
verses, two or three characters well enough drawn, but not
a single spark of the vis comica. ^
COLBERT (John Baptist), marquis of Segnelai, one
of the greatest statesmen that France ever had, was born
.at Paris in 1619, and descended from a fomily that lived
at Rheims in Cbampaigne, originally from Scotland (the
Cuthberts), but at that time no way considerable for its
splendour. His grandfather is said to have been a wine**
merchant, and his father at first followed the same occU'^
1 Diet. Hist.-*D'Iftr«eli'a Ct«iositiei^ vol. I. p. 85^
Itf COLBERT.
patioil ; but afterwards traded in cloth, and at last in sill(^
Our Colbert vras instructed in the arts of merchaudizey and
aftervrards became clerk to a notary^ In 1648 his relation
John Baptist Colbert, lord of S. Pouange, preferred him to
thi^ service of Michael le Tellier, secretary of state, whose
sister he' had married ; and here he discovered such dili-
gence and exactness in executing all the commissions
that were entrusted to' his care, that he quickly grew-dis-
tinguished. One day his master sent him to cardinal Ma-
zarine, who was then at Sedan, with a letter written by the
queen mother ; and ordered him to bring it back after that
minister had seen it. Colbert carried the letter, and would
not return without it, though the cardinal treated him
joughly, used several arts to deceive him, and obliged him
jto wait for it several days. Some time after, the cardinal
. returning to court, and wanting one to write his agenda or
memoranda, desired le Tellier to furnish him with a fit per-
son for that employment ; and Colbert being presented to
him, the ctardinal had some remembrance of him, and de^
sired to know where he had seen him. Colbert was afraid
of putting him in mind of Sedan, lest the remembrance of
his behaviour in demanding the queen's letter should re-
new his anger. But the cardinal was so far frojp disliking
him for his faithfulness to his late master, that he received
him on condition that he should serve him with the like zeal
and fidelity. «
Colbert applied himself wholly to the advancement of
his master's interests, and gave him so many marks of his
diligence and skill that afterwards he made him his inten-
dant. He accommodated himself so dexterously to the in-
clinations of that Ininister, by retrenching his superfluous
expences, that he was entrusted with the sale of benefices
and governments, and it was by Colbert's counsel that the'
cardinal obliged the governors of frontier places to main«
tain their garrbons with the contributions they exacted^
He was sent to Rome, to negociate the reconciliation of
cardinal de Retz, for which the pope had shewed sonke
concern ; and to persuade his holiness to fulfill the treaty
concluded with his predecessor Urban VIII. From all these
services Mazarine conceived so high an opinion of Col-
bert's abilities, that at his death in 1661, he earnestly
recommended him to Louis XIV. as the most proper per«
^ son to regulate the finances, which at that time were ia
great confasiou. Louis accepted the recoamiendation^ and
COLBERT. 17
Colbifert being appointed iDtetulaQt of the finances, applied
' bimself to tbeir regulatton, and succeeded : though it pro*
cured him many enemies. France is also obliged to this
fisinister for establishiog at that time her trade with the
East and West Indies^ from whiqh she once reaped innu-
merable advantages.
In 1664 he became superintendant of the buildings ; and
from that time applied himself earnestly to the enlarging
apd adorning of the royal edifices^ particularly those
spleodid works, the palace of theTuilleries, the Louvre^
St. Gmraain, Font^nbleau, and Cbombord. Versailles,
which be found a dogrkennel, where Louis XIII. kept his
hunting equipage, be rendered a pals^c^ fit for the greatest
monarch. Colbert also formed several designs for increas-
ing the beauty and convenience of the capital city, and
bad the principal hand in the establishment of the academy
for painting and sculpture in 1664, which originated in
,ibe fojUowii^ circumstance : the king's painters and
sculptors, with other skilful professors of those arts, being
prosecuted at law by the master-painters at Paris, joined
together in a society, under the name of the Royal Aca-
demy for sculpture and painting, with a view to hold public
e^^ercises, for the sake of improving the arts, and advanc-
ing them to the highest degree of perfection* They put
then>$elves under the protection of Mazarine, and chose
chanceUpr Seguier tbeir vice-protector ; and after Maza-
rine^a daiatb chose Seguier their protector, and Colbert
theor vice-pJTOtector ; and it was at bis solicitation that they
were finally established by a patent, containing new pri-
vilegea^ in 16i4. Colbert, being made protector after the
deaith of Seguie^) thought fit that an historiographer should
be appointed, whc^se .business it should be to collect all
curioua and useful observations made at tbeir conferences.
His msyesty acquiesced in the appointment of this new
officer, and settled on him a salary of 300 livres. To Col-
bert alsO the lovers of naval knowledge are obliged, for the
erection of the academy of sciences ; and in 1667, for the
royal observatory at Paris, which was first inhabited by
Cassint. France aUo owes to him all the advantages she
receives by the union of the two seM ; a prodigious work^
begun in 1666, and finished in 1680. Colbert was besides
very attentive to. matters which regarded the order, de-
cency,* and well-being of society* He undertook to reform
the courts of justice, and to put a stop to the usurpation of
VOL.X C
IS COLBERT.
noble titliss ; which was then veiy common in France. In
the former of those attempts he £uled/ in the latter ho
succeeded.
In 1669 he was made secretaxv of state» and entrusted
with the management of affairs relating to the sea : and his
performances in this province were answerable to the con^
fidence his majesty reposed in him. He suppressed seve-
ral offices, which were chargeable and useless : and in the
mean time, perceiving the king^s zeal for the extirpation
of heresy, he shut up the chamber instituted by the edicts
of Paris and Roan. He proposed several new regulations
concerning criminal courts ; and was extremely severe with
the parliament of Tholouse, for obstructing the measures
he took to carry the same into execution. ^ His main de-
sign in reforming the tedious methods of proceeding at
law, was to give the people more leisure to apply them-
selves to trading : for the advancement of which he pro-
cured an edict, to erect a general insurance-office at Paris,
for merchants, &c« In 1672 he was made minister of state,
and amidst these multiplied employments, it has been ob^
served that he never neglected his own or his family^s inte-
rest and grandeur, or missed any opportunity of advancing
either. He had^ been married many years, had sons and
daughters grown up ; all of whom, as occasion served, he
took care to marry to great persons, and thus strengthened
his interest by powerful alliances. Business, however, was
certainly Colbert's natural turn ; and he not only loved it^
but was very impatient of interruption in it A lady of
great quality was one day urging him, when he was in the
height of his power, to do her some piece of service -, and
perceiving him inattentive and inflexible, threw herself at
his feet, in the presence of above an hundred persons, cry-
ing, '' I beg your greatness, in the name of God, to grant
me this favour!** Upon which, Colbert, kneeling down
over against her, replied, in the same mournful tone, *^ I
conjure you, madam, in the name of God, not to disturb
me !**
This great minister died of the stone, Sept. 6, 1683, in
his 65th year, leaving behind him six sons and thre^
daughters. He was of a middle stature, his mien low and
dejected, his air gloomy, and his aspect stem. ' He slept
little, and was extremely temperate. Though naturally
sour and morose, he knew how to &ct the lover, and had
^mistresses. He was of a slow conception, but spoke judU
J
C O L B £ R t. l9
tibasly of every, tbin^ after lie bad oncfe comprehended it.
He understood business perfectly well^ and be pursued it
witb .unwearied application. Tbis enabled bim to fill tbe
most important places with high reputation and credit^
wbile bis influence diffused itself through every part of the
govemaient. He restored the finances^ the navy, the com-
merce of France ; and be erected those various works o£
art, which have ever since been monuments of bis tast^
and magnificence. He was a lover of learning, though
not a man of learning himself, and liberally conferred do-
nations and pensions upon scholars in other countries, wbile
he established and protected academies in his own. He
invited into France painters, statuaries, mathematicians^
and eminent artists of all kinds, thus giving new life to the
sciences. Upon the wbole^ be was a wise, active, gene-<
rous-spirited minister; ever attentive to the interests of
bis master, the happiness of the people, the progress of
arts and manufactures, and to every thing that could ad-
vance the credit and interest of bis country, while bis
failings were sach as could not injure bim in the opinion of
his age and country. ^
COLBERT, John Baptist. See TORCY.
COLE (Charles Nalson), an English lawyer, and le^^
gal antiquary, was born in the Isle of Ely in 1722, and
educated at St. John's college, Cambridge, which be left
after taking bis bachelor's degree in 1743; and having
studied law in the Inner Temple, was admitted to the bar.
He became afterwards Registrar to the corporation of Bed-^
ford Level, and published ^' A Collection of Laws which
form the constitution of the Bedford Level Corporation^
with an introductory history thereof,'' 1761, 8vo. In 1772
be was editor of a new edition of Sir William Dugdale^s
^' History of embanking and drayning of divers fenns and
marshes, &c." originally printed 1662, fol. This new
edition was first undertaken by the corporation of Bedford
Level; but upon application to Richard Geast, esq. of
Blytbe'Hall, in the county of Warwick, a lineal maternal
descendant of the author, he desired that it might be en-»
tirely conducted at bis own expence. Mr. Cole added
three very useful indexes. Mr. Cole's next appearance in
the literary world was as editor to Mr. Soame Jenyns's
. 1 Life of, Cologn, 1695, aad id Eoflish, 1695, 8vo.— 'M«reri.«»P!ct. fiiiU-.
FerrattU Les Uomraei lilattm.
20
COLE.
#orks, with whom he bad lived in habits of friendship for
ntBT half a century. Mr. Jenyns, who died in 1787,
b43K}ueathed to him the copy-right of all his published
^orks, and consigned to his care all his literary papers,
with a desire that he would collect together and superin"
tend the publication of his works. In executing this, Mr.
Cole made such a selection as shewed his regard for the
reputation of his friend, and prefixed a life written with
candour. Mr. Cole, who had long lived a private and re-
tired life, died Dec. 18, 1804, at his house in Edward-
street, Cavendish-square, after a tedious and severe illness^
in the eighty •second year of his age. ^
COLE (Hbnry), a person of considerable learning in
the sixteenth century, was born at Godsbill in the Isle of
Wight, and educated in Wykeham^s school near Winches-
ter. From thence he was chosen to New college, Oxford,
of which he became perpetual fellow in 1523, and studying
the civil law, took the degree of bachelor in that faculty,
March 3, 1529-30. He then travelled into Italy, and im-
proved himself in his studies at Padua, being a zealous
Koman catholic, but upon his return to England, he ac-
knowledged king Henry VIII. to be the supreme liead of
the church of England. In 1540, he took the degree of
doctor of the civil law ; and the same year resigned bis fel-
lowship, being then settled in London, an advocate in the
court of arches, prebendary of Yatminster Secunda in the
church of Sarum, and about the same time was made arch-
deacon of Ely. In September, 1540, he was admitted to
the rectory of Chelmsford in Essex ; and in October f(^-
lowing, collated to the prebend of Holborn, which he re-
signed April 19, 1541; and was the same day collated to
that of Sneating, which he voiding by cession in March
ensuing, was collated to the prebend of Wenlakesbaroe.
In 1542 he was elected warden of New College; and in
1545 m^e rector of Newton Longville in Buckingham-
shire. Soon after, when king Edward VI. came to the
crown, Dr. Cole outwardly embraced, and preached up
the reformation, but altering hiis mind, he resigned his
rectory of Chelmsford in 1547; and in 1551 his warden-
ship of New College ; and the year following, his rectory
of Newton Longville. After queen Mary's accession to
the crown, he became again a zealous Koman catholic ;
* NichoIs*t Bowser.
COLE. ai
•Dd in 1554. was Biade provost of Eton college, of which
be had been fellow. The same year, June 20, he had
the degree of D. D. conferred on him, and was on^ of
the divines that disputed publicly at Oxford with arch-
bishop Cranmer, and bishop Ridley. He also preached
the funeral sermon before archbishop Cranmer^s execution.
He was appointed one of the commissioners to Tisit the
university of Cambridge ; was elected dean of St« Paul's
the 11th of December, 1556; made (August 8, 1557) vi->
car-general of the spiritualities under cardinal Pole, arch-
bishop of Canterbury ; and the first of October following,
official of the arches, and dean of the pecutiars ; and in
November ensuing, judge of the court of audience. In
1558 be was appointed one of the overseers of that car-
dinal's will. In the first year of queen Elizabeth's reign
he was one of the eight catholic divines who dispute
publicly at Westminster with the same number of pro*
testants, and distinguished himself then and afterwards^
by bis writings in favour of popery, for which he was de*
prived of his deanery, fined five hundred marks, and im-
prisoned. He died in or near Wood -street compter, in
London, in December, 1579. Leiand has noticed him
among other leaned men of our nation. He is called bj
Strype ** a person more earnest than wise," but Ascham
highly commends him for his learning and humauity. U
is evident, however, that he accommodated bis changes |of
opinions to the tiines, although in his heart he was among
the most bigotted and implacable opponents of the re-
formed religion. His writings were, 1. ** Disputation with
archbishop Cranmer and bishop Ridley at Oxford," in
1554. 2. '' Funeral Sermon at the Burning of Dr. Tbo*
mas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury." Both tfaese are
in Fox's Acts and Monuments. 3. ". Letters to John Jewell,
bishop of Salisbury, upon occasion of a Serooon that the said
bishop preached before the queen's majesty and her honoorr
able council, anno 1 560," Lond. 1 560, 8vo, printed afterwards
among Bishop Jewell's works. 4. ** Letters to bishop
JeweU, upon occasion of a Sermon of bis preached at Paul's
Cross on the second Sunday before Easter, in 1560.^ 5.
<* An Answer to the first proposition of the Protestants, at
the Disputation before the lords at Westminster." These
last are in Burnet's History of the Reformation. ^
1 Biof-Brit. — ^Ath. Oi. toI. I.— Fox'f A«tt and Bionuaienti.^Baniet*!, CoU
l\m% s&d Dodd't Ch. UitU
tt COLE.
COLE (William), an eminent antiquary and benefactor"
to the history and antiquities of England, was the son of
William Cole, a gentleman of landed property, at Baber-
ham in Cambridgeshire, by his third wife, Catharine,
daughter of Theophilus Tuer, of Cambridge, merchant,
but at the time she married Mr. Cole, the widow' of
Charle^ Apthorp *. He was born at Little Abington, a
village near Baberham, Aug. 3, 1714, and received the
early part of his education under the Rev. Mr. Butts at
Saffron-Walden,.and at other small schools. From these
he was removed to Eton, where he was placed under Dr.
Cooke, afterwards provost, but to whom he seems to h^ve
contracted an implacable aversion. After remaining five
years on the foundation at this seminary, be was admitted
a pensioner of Clare hall, Cambridge, Jan. 25, 1733; and
in April 1734, was admitted to one of Freeman's scholar-
ships, although not exactly qualified according to that be-
nefactor^s intention: but in 1735, on the death of his fa-
ther, froin whom he inherited a handsome estate, he en-
terefl himself s^ fellow-commoner of Clare Hall, and next
year removed to King^s college, where he had a younger
brother, then a fellow, and was accommodated with better
^partipents. This last circumstance, and the society of
his old companions of Eton, appear to have been his prin-p
oipal motives for changing his college. In April 1736, he
travelled for a short time in French Flanders with his half-
brother, the late Dr. Stephen Apthorp, «and in October of
the same year he toolc the degree of B. A. In 1737, in
consequence of bad health, he went to Lisbon, where he
remained six mouthy, and-returned to college May 1738.
The following year be was put into the commissibn of the
peace for the county of Cambridge, in which capacity he
acted for many years. In 1740 bis friend lord Mohtfort,
then lord lieutenant of the county, appointed him one of
liis deputy lieutenants ; and in the same year be proceeded
M. A. In 1743, his* health being again impaired, be
took another trip through Flanders for five or six weeks,
visiting St. Omei^s, Lisle, Tournay, tic. and other princi-
pal places of which be has given an account in his M8
fpoll^ctioiis. In Dec. 1 744 he was ordained deacon in the
* Mr. Cole's fii|her had a foprth wife, years jarrin;, tber agreed on a aep^«
a relatian of lord Montfort. '* By ber," ration." She died about a year after
9ays his son, *' he had no issue, aqd l^er husliaiid.
twj little ^ui^t. Al^er ibur or .l^re
COLE. 2$
coUegiattt ckureh of Wesuntnstcr, by Dr. Wileocki,. biriiop
of Rochester, and was in consequence for some time en-*
rate to Dc. Abraham Oakes, rector of Wethersfield in^
Sufiblk. In 1745, aft^r being admitted to priesfs orders,
he was made chaplain to Thomas earl of Kinnoul, in
which office he was continued by the succeeding earl,
George. He was elected a fellow of the Society of An-^
tiquaries in 1747 ; and appears to have resided at Hadden*
ham in the Isle of Ely in 1749, when he was collated by
bishop Sherlock to the rectory of Homsey in Middlesex,
which he retained only a very short time.. Speaking of that,
prelate, he says, *\ He gave me the rectory of Horusey,
yet his manner was such that I soon resigned it again to
him« I hav0 not been educated in episcopal trammels^
and liked a mofe liberal behaviour; yet he. was a great
man, and I believe an honest man." The fact, however,
was, as Mr. Cole elsewhere informs us, that be- was in-
ducted Nov. 25 ; but finding the house in so ruinous a con-,
dition as to require rebuilding, and in a situation so near
the metropolis, which was always his aversion, and under-*-
standing that the bishop insisted on his residing, he re-*
signed within a month. This the bishop refused te accept^^
because Mr. Cole had made himself liable to dilapidations
and other expences by accepting of it. Cole continued
therefore as rector until Jan. 9, 1751, when he resigned it
into the hands of the bishop in favour of Mr. Territ. Du-.
ring this time he had never resided, but employed a curate, '
the rev. Matthew Iviapletoft. In 1753 he quitted the uni*
versity on being presented by his early friend and patron,
Browne Willis, esq. to the rectory of Bletchley, in Buck*
inghamshire, which be resigned March 20, 1767, in favour
of his patron's grandson, the rev. Thomas Willis, and this
very honourably, and merely because he knew it, ^as his
patron's intention to have bestowed it on his grandsgn had
he lived to effect an exchange.
Having been an early and intimate acquaintance of Mr,
Horace Walpole, the late earl of Orford, they \yent to
France together in 1165, Mr. Walpole to enjoy the gfdetiea
of that country, but Mr. Cole to seek a cheaji residence,
to which he .might retire altogether. From the whole
tenour of Mr. Cole's sentiments, and a partiality, which
in his MSS. he takes little pains to disguise, in favour of
the Roman catholic religion and ceremonies, we suspect
that cheapness was not the only motive for this intended
24 COL E.
r^moTaL He had at this time bifi penenal estate^ which
he tells UB was a '^ handsopse oney" and he held the Hving
of Bletchley, both together surely adequate to the wMt»
of a retired scholar, a man of little fiersooal expeuce, and
who had determined never to marry. He was, howeve)*^
diverted from residing in France by the Iaw9 of that coun-
try, particularly the Droit d' A ubaine, by which the pro*
perty of a stranger dying in France becomes the king's,'
and which had not at that time been revoked; Mr. Oble
at first supposed this could be no obstacle to hid nettling in-
Normandy; but his friend Mr. Walpole repretokited to him
that his MSB. on which he set a high value, wduld infaU*
libly become the property of the king of France^ and prow
bably be destroyed. This had a persuasive effect ; and in
addition to it, we have his own authority that this visit
impressed his mind so strongly wkh the certainty of an
impending revolution, that upon that account he preferred
remaining in England. His expressions on this subject
are remarkable, but not uncharacteristic : '.' I did not like
the plan of settling in France at that time, when the Jesuits
were expelled^ and the philosophic deists weire so powerful
as to threaten the destruction, .not only of all the religious'
orders, but of Christianity itself." There is a journal of
this toiir in vol. XXXIV. of his collections.
In 1767, after resigning Bletchley, he went into a hired
bouse at Waterbecbe, and continued there two years,*
while a house was fitting for him at MiltQn, a small village
on the Ely road, near Cambridge, where he passed the
remainder of his days, and from which he became fefcnitiarly
distinguished as " Cole of Milton." In May 1771, by
lord Montfort's favour, he was put into the commission of
the peace for the town of Cambridge. In 1772, bishop
ICeene, without any solicitation, sent Mr. Cole an offer of
the vicarage of Maddingley, about seven miles from Milton j
which, for reasons of convenience, he civilly declinedv
but has not spoken so civilly of that prelate in his ^^ Atbenae.^^
He was, however, instituted by Dr. Green, bishop of Lin-
coln, to the vicarage of Burnham, in BuckingbamAhre,
on the presentation of Eton college, June 10, 1774, void
by the cession of his uterine brother, Dr* Apthorp. He
stiU, however, resided at Milton, where he died Dec. 16,
1782^ in his sixty-eighth year, his constitution having
been shattered and worn down by repeated attacks of the
gout* .•
C -O L E. 2S
lfr« Cde W9B ati antiqiiary almost from die cmdle, and
bad in iiu boyiidi dajrs^ made himself acquahited with those
neeepsaary sciences, heraldry and anshitectui'e. He says^
the fiivt ^* essay of his antiquarianism** was taking a copy
both ef die inscription and tomb of Ray, the naturalist, in
1754 ; hat it appears' that, when he was at Eton school, he
used during the vacations to copy, in trick, arms from the
painted wmdbw$ of churches, particularly Baberham in
Cambridgeshire,; iiiid Moulton in Lincolnshire. Yet^^ al-
though he dev6ted his whole life' to topography and bio-
graphy, he did not aspire to any higher honour than that
of a coHectOfT of information for the use of others, and
certainly was liberal and communicative to his contempo-
raries, and so partial to evefy attempt to illustrate our
£ngiisfa anliqtiities, that he frequently offered his services,
wiiere delicacy and want of personal knowledge would have
peflmpa prevented bis being consulted.
What he contributed was in genera), in itself, original
and adenrate, and would hav^ done credit to a separate
piMication, if he had thought proper. Among the works
whic^h he assisted, either by entire dissertations, or by mi-
iHite cemmuhications and corrections, we may enumerate
Grose's « Antiquities ;" Benthani's « Ely ;" Dr. DucarePs
publiearions ; Pfailips's ** Life of Cardinal Pole ;'• Gough*»
^ fiffitidi Topogi^phy ;" the ** Memoirs of the Gentlemen's
Society a« Spalding ;'• Mr. Nichols's ^ Collection of
PoeoB^'* « Anecdotes of Hogarth," *< History of Hinck**
ley," and <* Life of Bowyer.** With Grangi&r he corre-
sponded vety frequently, and most of his corirectibns were
adopted by diat writer. Mr. Cole himself was a collector
of poi^aMits at a time when this trade was in few hands, and,
had a Tery valuable series, in the disposal of which he was
somewhat unfortiinate, and somewhat caprieious, putting
a different value on them at different times. When in the
hope fteat lord Montstoart would purchase them, he valued
them at a shilling each^ one with another, which he says,
would have amounted to 160?. His collection must there-'
fore have amounted to 3200 prints, but among these were
many topoffrapfaieal articles : ISO/, was offered oh this oc-*
casioBy whlcb'Mr. Cole declined accepting. This was in
1774; but pi^evious to this, in 1772, he met with a curious
acchtent, whtcb had thinned his collectioti of porthiits.'
This was m visit from ah eminent collector. ^' He had^**
says Mr. Cole, ^* heard of my collection of prints, and a
« COLE.
proposal to see tliem was the consequence ; accordingly,
he breakfasted here next morning ; and on a slight offer
of accommodating him with such heads as he had not, he
absolutely has taken one hundred and ei^ty*seven of my
roost valuable and favourite heads, such as he had not, and
most of which had never seen ; and all this with as much
ease and familiarity as if we had known each other ever so
long. However, I must do him the justice to say, that I
really did offer him at Mr. Pemberton^s, that he might take
such in exchange as he had not ; but this I thought would
not have exceeded above a dozen, or thereabonts, &c.'*
In answer to this account of the devastation of his coUec-.
tion, his correspondent Horace Walpole writes lo him in
the following style, which is not an unfair specii^en of the-
manner in which these correspondents treated their con*'
temporaries: — ^'I have had a relapse (of the gouit),. and/
have not been able to use my hand, or I should have la*
mented with you on the plunder of your prints by that
jilgcrine hog. I pity you, dear sir, and feel for^our.awk-;
wardness, that was struck dumb at his rapaciousness. Thei
beast has no.sort of taste neither, and in a twelvemonth
will sell them again. This MnJUy Moloch used to buy^
]t>ooks, and now sells them. He has hurt his fortune, and*
ruined himself to have a collection, without any choice o£
what it should be composed. It is the most under^brtd
smnc I ever saw, but I did not know it was so ravenausi t
wish you may get paid any how.'* — Mr, Cole, ho.wever^
after all this epistolary scurrility, acknowledges that he
was ^^ honourably paid" at the rate of two shillings and
sixpence each head, and one, on which he and t Walpole
set an uncommon value, and demanded back^ was a^scord^
ingly returned.
Mr. Cole^s. MS Collections bad two principal, olijects,,
first, the compilation of a work in imitation of Anthony
Wood's AthensEt, containing the lives of the Cambridge
scholars ; and secondly, a county history of Cambridge ;
and he appears to have done something to each ^ early as
1742. They now amount to an hundred vo),uine9, smaU
folio, into which he appears to have transcribed some do-
cument or other almost every day of bis life, with very
little intermission. He began with fifteen of these voIuin<»9
while at college, which he used to keep in a lock-up cas^
in the universi^ library, until he had examined every book
in th&t collection firom which he could derive apy. in|6r|n|i-»
COLE. 27
tiOQ suitable to his purpose^ ' and transcribed many MS
lists, records, &c/ The grand interval from this labour
was from 1752 to 1767, while he resided at Bletchley;
but even there, from his own collection of books^ and such
as he could borrow, he went on with his undertaking, and
during frequent journies, was adding to his topographical
drawings and descriptions. He had some turn for drawing,
as his works every where demonstrate, just enough to give
an acourat^ but coarse outline. But it was at Cambridge
and Milton where his biographical researches were pursued
with most effect, and where he carefully registered every
anecdote he could f>ick up in conversation ; and, in charac-r
terising his contemporaries, may literally be said to have
spared neither friend nor foe. He continued to fill his
volumes in this way, almost to the end of his life, the last
letter he transcribed being dated Nov. 25, 1782. Besides
his topography and biography, he has transcribed the whole
of })is literary correspondence. Among bis correspondentS|
Horace Walpole must be distinguished as apparently en«
joying bis utmost confidence; but their letters add very
litde to the character of either, as men of sincerity or can-
dour. Both were capable of writing polite, and even flat-*
tering letters to gentlemen, whom in their mutual corre-
spondence, perhaps by the ^me post, tbey treated witU
the utmost contempt and derision.
Throughout the whole of Mr. Cole^s MSS. his attachment
to the Roman catholic religion is clearly to be deduced,
and is often almost avowed. He never can conceal his
hatred to the eminent prelates and martyrs who were the
promoters of the Reformation. In this respect at least he
resembled Anthony Wood, whose friends bad some diffi**
culty in. proving -that he died in communion with the church
of Englatid^ and Ct)le yet more closely resembled him in liis
hatred of the puritans and dissenters. When in 1767 an
order was issued from the bishops for a return of all papists or
reputed papists in their dioceses. Cole laments that in some
places none were returned, and in other places few^ and
assigns as a reason for this regret, that '< their principles
are much more conducive to a peaceful and quiet subordi-
nation in government, and they might be a proper balance,
in time of need, 'not only to the tottering state of Chris-
tianity in general, but to this church of England in parti-,
cular, pecked against by every fanatic sect, whose good
fellies the infidels are well known to be ; but hardly safe
• V
2s e O L E-
f^m its own lukewarm members ; and whose safety depen^ir
solely oil a political balance/' The *^ lukewarm members/*
he elsewhere characterizes as latitudinarmns, including
Clarke, Hoadly, and their successors, who held prefer*-*
ments in a church whose doctrines they opposed*
As late as 1778 we find Mr. Cole perplexed as to the
disposal of his manuscripts ; to gite them to one college
which be mentions, would, he says, ^< be to throw thetfi
into a horse-pond," for " in that college they are so con-
ceited of their Greek and Latin, that with them all other
studies are mere barbarism." He once thought of Eton
college; but, the MSS. relating principally to Cambridge
university and county, he inclined to deposit them in one
of the libraries there ; not in the public library, because
too public, but in Emanuel, with the then master of which^
Dr. Farmer, he was Very intimate. Dr. Farmer, however,
happening to suggest that he might find a better place for
them, Mr. Cole, who was become peevish, and wanted te
be courted, thought proper to consider this ^ eoohiess and
indifference*' as a refusaL In this dilemma he at length
resolved to bequeath them to the Irtish Musemii, with
this condition, that they should not be opened for twentv
years after his death. For such a condition, some have
assigned as a reason that the characters of many living
persons being drawn in them, and that in no very favour*
able colours, it might be his wish to spare their delicacy ;
but, perhaps with equal reason, it has been objected that
euch persons would thereby iae deprived of alt opportunity
of refuting his assertions, or defending themselves. Upoa
a careful inspection, however, of the whole of these vo-
lumes, we are not of opinion that the quantum of injury
inflicted is very great, most of Cole's unfavourable anec*
dotes being of that gossiping kind, on which a judictotis
biographer will not rely, unless corroborated by other au-
thority. Knowing that be wore his pen at his ear, there
were probably many who amused themselves with his pre-
judices. His collections however, upon the whole, are
truly valuable ; and bis biographical references, in parti-
cular, while they display extensive reading and industry,
cannot lail to assist the future labours of writers interested
in the history of the Cambridge scholars. '
COLE (William), an English botanist, was the son of
a clergyman, and bom at Adderbury, in Oxfordshire,
1 Gathered hwn bis MS$. pttiivu— Set aiso NicfaoU'i Bowyer, aad D'IiJraeIi>
CaUautits of Aathort.
COLE; 29
ibout 16£6* After he bad been wdl-imtracted in grain-
inaD-learning and the claasios, he was entered in 1643 of
Merton-college^ in Oxford. In. 1650 he took a de^ee in
arts; after which he left the university, and retired to
Piitney, near London ; where be lived several vearS| and
became the most ftmaous simpler or botanist of his time.
In 1656 be pttblfshed ** The art of simpiing^ or an intro-
duction to the knowledge of gathering plants, wherein the
definitions, divisions, places, descriptions, and the like^
are compendiously discoursed of;** with which was also
printed ^' Perspicilhun microcosnaologicum, or, a prospec*
tive for the discovery of the lesser world, wherein man is a
compendium^ ^c.'* And in 1657 he published '* Adam
in Eden, or Nature^s paradise : wherein is contained the
history of plants, herbs^ flowers, .with their several original
names/' Upon the restoration of Charles II. in 1660, he
uras nsade secretary to Duppa, bishop of Winchester, in
whose service he died in 1662.^
COLES (Eush'a), author of a Dictionary once in much
reputation, was bom in Northamptonshire about 1640,
^ow>ards the end of 1658, he was entered of Magdalen>- '
college, in Oxford, but left it without taking a degree ;
and retiring to London, taught Latin there to youths, and
English to foreigners, about 1663, with good success in
Russel-stre^ near Covent-garden, and at length became
one of the ushers in merchant-taylors* schooL But being
there guilty of some offence, he was forced to withdrair
into Ireland, ftiom whence he never returned. He wa%
sayk Wobd, a carious and critical person in the English
and Latin tongues, did much good in his profession, and
wrote several useful and necessary books for the instruc-
tion of beginners. The titles of them are as follows : 1.
'^ The Complete English Schoolmaster : or, the most na«>
tural and easy method of spelling and reading English, ac<*
cording to the present proper pronunciation of the language
in Oxford and London, &c.'' Lond. 1674, 8vo. d. '< The
newest, plainest, and shortest Short-hand ; containing,
first, a brief account of the sbort*hand already ex-
tant, with their alphabets and fundamental rulesT Se-
condly, a plain and '.easy method for beginners, less
burdensome to the memory than any other. Thirdly, a
•new invention for contracting words, with special* rules for
coQtractiog sentences, and other ingenious fancies, &c.'*
1 Atfa. Ox, TOl. II.
so COLES.
Lo^d. 1674, 8vo. 3. << Nolens Volens:. or, yon .riiall
make Latin, whether you will or no; containing die plainest
directions that have been yet given upon that subject/.*
Lond- 1 C75, ivo. With it is printed : 4. " The Youth's
visible Bible, being an alphabetical collection (from the
whole Bible) of such general beads as were judged most
capable of Hieroglyphics ; illustrated with twenty-four
€opper-plate9| &:c/* 5. ** An English Dictionary, ex-
pluintng the difficult terms that are used in divinity, hus^
bandry, physic, philosophy, law, navigation, mathematics^
and other arts and sciences,'' Lond. 1676, 8vo, reprinted
several times since.* 6. '< A Dictionary, English- Latin,
and Latin* English ; containing all things necessary for the
translating of either language into the other," Lond. 1677,
4to, reprinted several times in 8vo ; the .12th edition was
in 1730. 7. ^< The most natural and easy Method of
learning Latin, by comparing it with English : Together
with the Holy History of Scripture-War, or the sacred art
military, &c." Lond. 1677, 8vo. 8. " The^Harmony of
the Four Evangelists, in a metrical paraphrase on the his-
tory of bur Lord anc| Saviour Jesus Christ," Lond. 1679,
8vo, reprinted afterwards. 9. ** The Young Scholar's best
Companion : or an exact guide or directory for children
and youth, from the A B C, to the Latin Grammar, com-
prehending the whole body of the English learning, &c."
Lond. 12mo. Cole's Dictionary continued to be a school-
book in very general use, for some time after the publica-
tion of Ainsworth's Thesaurus; But it has fallen almost
into total neglect, since other abridgments of Ainsworth
have appeared, by Young, Thomas, and other persons.
The men, however, who have been benefactors to the cause
of learning, ought to be remembered with gratitude, though
their writings may happen to be superseded by more per-
fect productions. It is no small point of honour to be the
means of paving the way for superior works. ^
COLES (Elisha), uncle to the preceding, was also a
native of Northamptonshire, but became a trader in Lon-
don, and probably an unsuccessful one, as during the time
that Oxford was in possession of the parliamentary forces,
we find him promoted to the office of steward to Magdalen
college, by Dr. Thomas (jk)odwin, the famous independent
president of that college. On the. restoration, he was obliged
t Ath. Ox. Tol. II.— Biof. Brit.
C O L E S. 31
to quit this situatibiiy but acqliired the preferable appoint*
ment of clerk to the East* India company^ which he pro-
bably held to his death, at London, in October 1688,
upwards of eighty years old» He is known to this day by
his *^ Practical Discourse of God*8 Sovereignty,** London,
1678, 4to, and often reprinted in 8vo. The object of it*
is to refute the Arminians in those points concerning which
they differ most ^roo) the Cal?inists. ^
COLET (Dr. Job^), a learned English divine, and the
founder of St PauPs school, was bom in the parish of St.
Antbolin, London, in 1466, and was the eldest son of sir
Henry Colet, knt. twice lord-mayor, who had besides him
twenty-one children. In 1483 he was sent to Magdalen
college in Oxford, where he spent seven years in the study
of logic and philosophy, and took the degrees in arts* He
was perfectly acquainted with Cicero*s works, and no
stranger to Plato and Plotinus, 'whom he read together,
that they might illustrate each other. He could, however,
read them only in the Latin translations ; for neither at
school nor university had he any opportunity of learning
the Greek, that language being then thought unnecessary,
and even discouraged. Hence the proverb, <* Cave k Gra^-
cis, .ne fias heereticus,'* that is, ^Beware of Greek, lest
you become an heretic ;^' and it is well known, that when
Linacer, Grocyn, and others, afterwards professed to teach
it at Oxford, they were opposed by a set of men ^who
called themselves Trojans. Colet, however, was well skilled
in mathematics ; and having thus laid a good foundatiop of
learning at home, he travelled abroad for farther improve-
ment ; first to France, and then to Italy ; and seems to
have continued in those two countries from 1493 to 1497^
But before his departure, and indeed when be was of but
two years standing in the university, he was instituted to
the rectory of Denington in Suffolk, to which he was pre^
aented by a relation of his mother, and which he held to
4be d&y of his death. This practice of taking livings, while
thus under age, generally prevailed in the church of Rome ;
and Colet, being then an acolytbe, which is one of their
seven orders, was qualified for it. He was also presented
by his own father, Sept. 30, 1485, to the rectory of Thyr-
ning in Huntingdonshire, but he resigned it about the lat«*
ter end qf 1493, probably before he set out on his travels^
1 Ath. Ox. ToL 11.
32 COLE T.
Being arrived at Paris, he sqoq 1;>ecame acquainted with
the learned there, with the celebrated . Budaeaa ip parti-
cular; and was afterwards introduced to. Erasmus. In
Italy be contracted a friendship* with several eminent per«
sons, especially with his own couotrymen, Grocyn, Lina-
' cer, Lilly, and Latimer; who were leaning the Greek
tongue, then but little known in England, under those
great masters Demetrius, Angelus Politiaous, Hermolatis
Baii>arus, and Pomponius Sabious. He took this oppor-^
tunity of improving himself in this language; and having
devoted himself to divinity, he r^^ad, while abroad, the
best of the imtient fathers, particularly Origen, Cypriat,
Ambrose, and Jerome, bul^ it is said, very much under*
valued St. Augustine. He> looked sometimes akno into Sco-
tos and Aquinas, studied the civjl and canon law, made
himself acquainted with the history and constitution of
church and state ; and with a view to refinement, not very
common at that time, did not neglect to read such English
poets, and other authors of the belles lettres, as weie then
extant. During; his absence from England he waa n^de a
prebendary of York, and installed by proxy upon March
5, 1494, and was also made canon of St. Martinis Le Grand,
London, ^nd prebendary of Good Easter, in the same
church. Upon his return in 1497 he was ordained deacon
in December, and priest in July foUowii^* He bad, in-
deed, before he entered into orders, great temptations
from his natural disposition to lay aside study, and give
himself up to the gaiety of the court, for he was rather
luxuriously inclined ; but he curbed his passions by great
temperance and circumspection, and after staying a few
months with his father and mother at London, retired to
Oxford.
Here he read public lectures on St. Paurs epistles, withf-
out stipend or reward ; which, being a new thing, drew a
vast crowd of hearers, who admired him greatly. And here
he strengthened his memorable friendship with Erasmus,
who came to Oxford in 1497, which remained unshaken
and inviolable to the day of their deaths. He continued
these lectures three years; and in 1501 was admitted to
{proceed in divinity, or to the reading of. the sentencesr
n 1502 he became prebendary of Dumes£brd, in the
church of Sarum, and in Jan. 1504, resigned bis prebend
of Good Easter. In the same year he commenced D. D.
4nd in May 1505^ was instituted to the prebend of Mora
C 0 L E T. 33
•
b St. Pant's^ London. The same year and tnotith he wan
inade dean of that church, without the- least application of
his own ; and being raised to this high station, he began
to reform the decayed discipline of his cathedral. He in*
troduced a new practice of preaching himself upon Sun*
days and great festivals, and called to his assistance other
learned persons, such as Grocyn, and Sowle, whom he
appointed to read divinity^lectures. These lecture? raised
in the nation a spirit of inquiry after th^ holy scriptures,
wiiich had long been laid aside for the school divinity; and
eventually prepared for the reformation, which soon after
ensued* Colet was unquestionably in some measure in*
strumehtal towards it, though he did not live to see it
effected ; for he expressed a great contempt of religious
houses, exposed the abuses that prevailed in them, and
set forth the danger of imposing celibacy yon the clergy.
This way of thinking, together with his free and public
manner of communicating his thoughts, which were then
looked upon as impious and heretical, made him obnoxiouii
to the clergy, and exposed him to persecution from the
bishop of London, Dr. Fitzjames ; who, being a rigid bigot,
could not bear to have the corruptions in his church spoken
against, and therefore accused him to archbishop Warham
as a dangerous man, preferring at the same time some ar-
ticles against him. But Warham, well knowing the worth
and integrity of Colet, dismissed him, without giving him
the trouble of puttitig in any formal answer. The bishop,
however, not satisfied with that fruitless attempt, endea-
voured afterwards to stir up the king and the court against
him ; nay, we are told in bishop Latimer^s sermons, that
he was not only in trouble, ^^^ would have been burnt, if
God had not turned the king's heart to the contrary.'
These troubles and persecutions made hitii weary of the
world, so that he began to think of disposing of his effects,
and of retidng. Having therefore a very plentiful estate
without any near relations (for, numerous as his brethren
were, he had outlived them all), he resolved, in the midst
of life and health, to consecrate the whole property of it
to some standing and perpetual benefaction. And this he
performed by founding St. Paul's school, in London, of
which he appointed WiUiam Lilly first master in 1512. He
ordained, that there should be in this school an high master,
asurmaster, and a chaplain, who should teach gratis U3
children, divided into eight classes ; apd he endowed it
VOL.X. D
U C O L E T.
with lands and houses, amounting .th^n to 122/. '4^. 7^cL
p^r annum, of which endowment he made. the company of
mercers trustees. To further his scheme of retiring, he
built a convenient ai^d handsome house near Richmond pa-^
lace in Surrey, in which he intended to reside, but having
be^n seized by the siyeating sickness twice, and relapsing
into it a third time, a consumption ensued, which proved
fatal September 16, 1519, in his fifty ^third year. He was
buried in St PauPs choir, with an humble monument pre-
pared for him several years before, and only inscribed with
bis bare name. Afterwards a nobler was erected to his
honour by the company of mercers, which was destroyed
with the cathedral in 1666; bult the representation of it
is preserved in sir William Dugdale's ^^ History of St«
Paul's ^," and in Knight's life of the dean. On the two
sides of the bust was this inscription : ^^ John Colet, doctov
of divinity, dean of Paul's, and the only founder of Paul's*
school, departed this life, anno 1519, the son of sir Hen-
ny Colet, knt. twise mayor of the cyty of London, and
free of the company and mistery of mercers." Lpwer^
there were other inscriptions in Latin. About 1680, whea
the church was taking down in order to be rebuilt, his
leaden cofB.n was found inclosed in the wall, about two feet
and a half above the floor. At the top of it was a leaden
plate fastened, whereon was engraved the dean's name,
his dignity, his benefactions, &c. Besides his dignities
and prefermettts already mentioned, he was rector of the
fraternity or gild of Jesus in St. Paul's church, for which
he procured new statutes ; and was chaplain and preacher
in ordinary to Henry VHI; and, if Erasmus is not mis^
taken, one of the privy-council..
Of his writings, those which be published himself, or
which have been published since his death, are as follow :
1. '^ Oratio habita a doctore Johanne Cplet, decano sancti
Paiili, ad clerum in convocatione, anno 151 1." This be-»
ing hardly to be met with, except in the Bodleian library
at Oxford, among archbishop Laud's MS8. was reprinted
by Knight in his appendix to the life of Colet ; where also
is reprinted an old English translation of it, supposed to
have been done by the author himself. 2. *^ Rudimenta
grammatices a Joanne Coleto, decano ecclesise sancti Pauli
* The skeleton part of this fine old the care of Mr. Gould, the deputy Sttr«
monaitient was discovered in 1782 to %'eyQr and principal rerger.
liQ stiU eiustiDgy'an4waa pUoid under
O O L E T; 35
Loiidin. in tisum scholfle ab ipso institute :*' commonly
called "Paul's Accidence, 1589," 8to. 3. " The con-
struction of the eight parts of speech, entitled Absolutissi-
mus de octo orationis partium constrnctione libellus:**
which, with some alterations, and great additions, makes
up the syntax in Lilly's grammar, Antwerp, 1530, 8vo. 4.
^ Daily Devotions : oi^ the Christian's morning and even-
ing sacrifice." This is said not to be all of his composition.
5. « Monition to a godly Life," 1534, 1563, &c, 6. " Epis-
tol» ad Erasmum." Many of them are printed among
Erasmus's epistles, and some at the end of Knight's Life of ^
Colet There are still remaining in MS. others of his
pieces, enumerated in the account of his Life by Knight,
It is probable that he had no intention of publishing any
thing himself; for he had an inaccuracy and incorrectness
in his way of writing, which was likely to expose him to
the censures of critics ;/ and besides, was no perfect master
of the Greek tongue, without which he thought a man was
nothing. The pieces above mentioned were found after his
death in a very obscure corner of his study, as if he had
designed they should lie buried in oblivion ; and were writ-
ten in such a manner as if intended to be understood by
nobody but himself. With regard to sermons, he wrote
but few ; for he generally preached without notes.
The descriptions which are given of his person and cha-
racter are much to his advantage. He was a tall, comely,
graceful, well-bred man ; and of uncoromcJ^ learning and
piety. In his wiritings his style was plain and unaffected ;
and for rhetoric he had rather a contempt, than a want of
it. He cuuld not bear that the standard of good writing
should be taken from the exact rules of gv'ammar ; which,
he often said, was apt to obstruct a purity of language,
not to be obtained but by reading the best authors. This
contempt of grammar, though making him sometimes in-
accurate, and, as we have observed, laying him open to
the critics, did not hinder him from attaining a very mas-
terly style; so that his preaching, though popular, and
adapted to mean capacities, was agreeable to men of wit
and learning, and in particular was much admired by sir
Thomas More. With regard to some of his notions, he
was an eminent forejrunner of the reformation; and he
and Erasmus jointly promoted it, not only by pulling down
those strong holds of ignorance and corruption, the scho-
lastic divinity, and entirely routing both the Scotists and
P 2
36 G O L E T.
Thotnists, who bad divided the Cliristian world be(:Ween
them, but also by discovering the shameful abuses of mo*
nasteries, and the folly and danger of imposing celibacy
upon the clergy; to which places he gave little or nothing
Wnile he lived, and left nothing when he died. Colet
thought immorality in a priest more excusable than pride
and avarice ; and was with no sort of men more angry than
with those bishops who, instead erf shepherds, acted the
part of wolves, and who, under tne pretence of devotipns,
ceremonies, benedictions, and indulgences, recommended
themselves to the veneration of the people, while in their
hearts they were slaves to 61thy luci*e. He condemned
auricular confession ; and was content to. say mass only
upon Sundays and great festivals, or at least upon very
few days besides. He had gathered up several authorities
from the ancient fathers against the current tenets and
customs of the church ; and though he did not openly op-
pose the established religion, yet he shewed a particular
kindness and favour to those who disliked the worshiping
of images. As to his moral qualides, he was a man of
exemplary temperance, and all other virtues : and is so rer
presented by his intimate friend Erasmus, in an epistle to^
Jodocus Jonas, where the life, manners, and qualifica-
tions of Colet are professedly described. ^
COLIGNI (Gaspard de), the second of the name, of an
ancient family, admiral of France, was born the 16th of Fe-
bhiary 1516, fit Chatillon-sur*Loing. He bore arms from
bis very infancy. He signalized himself under Francis I. at
the battle of Cerisoles, and'under Henry IL who made him
colonel-general of the French infantry, and afterwards ad-
miral t)f France, 'in 1552; favpurs which he obtained by
the brilliant actions he performed at the battle of Renti, by
his zeal for military discipline, by his victories over the
Spaniards, and especially by the defence of St. Quintin,
The admiral threw himself into that place, and exhibited
prodigies^ of valour ; but the town being forced, he was
made prisoner of war. After the death of Henry U. he
put himself at the head of the protestants against the
Guises, and formed so powerful a party as to threaten ruin
to the Romish religion in France. We* are told by a con-
* Life by Knight. — Erasmus's Life of, in "Phcnix, vol. II. — ^Jortin's Life of
£rasmus.— Biog. Brit-~Birch*8 Tillotson, p. 19. — ^Strype's Life of Parker, p. 64.
.— Warton's Hist, of Ptfetry,— Ath. Ox. vol. I.— Mor«> lif^p of flir T. Mow, p.
19,20. ,
i. ' •
C O t I 9 N I. 37
temporary historian^ that the court had not a more formida-
ble enemy, next to Cond^, who had joined with him. The
latter was more ambitious, more enterprising, more active.
Coligni was of a sedater temper, more cautious, and fitter to
be the leader of a party; as unfortunate, indeed, in war as
Cond^, but often repairing by his ability what bad seemed
irreparable ; more dangerous after a defeat, than his enemies
after a victory ; and moreover adorned with as many virtues
as such tempestuous times and the spirit of party would
allow. He seemed to set no value on his life. Being
wounded, and his friends lamenting around him, he said
to them with incredible constancy, '^ The business we fol*
I low should make us as familiar with death as with life.*'
I The first pitcht battle that happened between the protestants
I and the catholics, was that of Dreux, in 1562. The ad-
miral fought bravely, lost it, but saved the army. The
duke of Guise having been murdered by treachery, a short
time afterwards, at the siege of Orleans, he was accused
of having connived at this base assassin^ition ; but he cleared
himself of the charge by oath. The civil wars ceased for
some time, but only to recommence with gi*eater fury in'
1567. Coligni and Cond^ fought the battle of St. Denys
against the constable of Montmorenci. This indecisive
day was followed by that of Jarnac, in 1569, fatal to the
protestants. Cond6 having been killed in a shocking man-
ner, Coligni had to sustain the whole weight of the party,
and alone supported that unhappy cause, ^nd was again
defeated at the affair of Mentcontour,- in Poitou, without
suffering bis courage to be shaken for a moment. An ad-
vantageous peace seemed shortly after to terminate these
bloody conflicts, in 1571. Coligni appeared at court,
where he was loaded with caresses, in common with all the
rest of bis party. Charles IX. ordered him to be'^paid a
hundred thousand frincs as a reparation of the losses he
had sustained, and restored to him his place in the council.
On all hands, however, he was exhorted to distrust these
perfidious caresses. A captain of the protestants, who was
retiring into the country, came to take leave of him : Co-
ligni asked him the reason of so sudden a retreat : ^^ It is,*'
said the soldier, ^^ because they shew us too many kind-
nesses here : I had rather escape with the fools, than perish
with such as are over-wise," A horrid conspiracy soon
broke out. One Friday the admiral coming to the Louvre^
was fired at by a musquet from a window^ aud dangerously
3« C O L I G N I.
wounded in the right hand and in the left arm, by Maure*
vert, who had been employed by the duke de Guise, who
had proposed the scheme to Charles IX. The king of Na-
varre and the prince of Cond6 complained of this villainous
act. Charles IX. trained to the arts of dissimulation by his
ibother, pretended to be extremely afflicted at the event,
ordered strict inquiry to be made after the author of it, and
called Coligni by the tender name of father. This was at
the very time when he was meditating the approaching
massacre of the protestants. The carnage began, as is well
known, the 24th of August, St. Bartholomew's day, 1572.
The duke de Guise, under a strong escort, marched to the
Ibouse of the admiral, A crew of assassins, headed by one
Besme, a domestic of the house of Guise, entered sword
in hand, and found him sitting in an elbow-chair. " Young
man,^' said he to their leader in a calm and tranquil manner,
^ thou shouldst have respected my gray hairs : but, do
what thou wilt ; thou canst only shorten my life by a few
days." This miscreant, after having stabbed him in seve-
ral places, threw him out at the window into the court-yard
pf the house, where the duke of Guise stood waiting;
Coligni fell at the feet of his base and implacable ^nemy,
and said, according to some writers, as he was just ex-
piring : ^^ If at least I had died by the hand of a gentle-
man, and not by that of a turnspit !" Besme, having
trampled on the corpse, said to his companions : ^^ A good
beginning ! let us go and continue our work !" His body
was exposed for three days to the fury of the populace,
and then hung up by the feet on the gallows of Montfau-
con. Montmorenci, his cousin, had it taken down, in order
to bury it secretly in the chapel of the chateau de Chan-
tilli. An Italian, halving cut off the head of the admiral,
carried it to Catherine de Mediqis ; and this princess
caused it to be embalmed, and sent it to Rome. Coligni
was in the habit of keeping a journal, which, after his
death, was put into the hands of Charles IX. In this was
remarked a piece of advice whiqh he gave that prince, to
take care of what he did in assigiring the appanage, lest
by so doing he left them too great an authority. Catherine
caused this article to be read before the duke of Alengon,
whom she knew to be afflicted at the death of the admiral :
** There is your good friend!" said she, " observe the ad-
vice he gives the king !'* — *' I cannot say,'* returned the
duke, " whether he was very fond of me ; but I know that
COLIGNL %9
such advice could have been given only by a man of strict
fidelity to his majesty, and zealous for the good of hi^
country." Charles IX. thought this journal worth being
printed; but the marshal de Retz prevailed on him toi
throw it into the'fire. We shall conclude tliis article with
the parallel drawn by the abb^ de Mably of the admiral de
Coligni, and of Frangois de Lorraine, due de Guise* ^* Co-
ligni was the greatest general of his time ; as courageous
as the duke of Guise, but less impetuous, because he had
always been less successful. He was fitter fqr forming
grand projects, and more prudent in the particulars of theiv
f^xecution. Guise, by a more brilliant courage, which,
astonished his enemies, reduced conjunctures to the pro-
vince of his genius,^ and thus rendered himself in some sott)
master of them. Coligni obeyed them, but like a com*
mander superior to them. In the same circumstances or-
dinary men would have observed only courage in the con-^
duct of the one, and only prudence in that of the other,
though both of them had these two qualities, but variously
subordinated. Guise, more successful, had fewer oppor-
tunities for displaying the resources of his genius : his deK-
ferous ambition, and, like that of Pompey, apparently
founded on the very interests of the princes it was endea-
vouring to ruin, while it pretended to serve them, was
supported on the authority of his name till it had acquired
strength enough to stand by itself. Coligni, less criminal,
though he appeared to be more so, openly, like Csesar;
declared war upon his prince and the whole kingdom of
France. Guise had the art 6f conquering, and of profiting
by the victory. Coligni lost four battles, and was. always
the terror of his victors, whom he seemed to have van-
quished. It is not easy to say what the former would have
been in the disasters that befell Coligni; but we may
boldly conjecture that the latter would have appeared still
greater, if fortune had favoured him as much. He was
seen carried in a litter, and we may add in the very jaws of
death, to order and conduct the longest and most difficult
marches, traversing France in the midst of his enemies,
rendering by his counsels the youthful courage of the
prince of Navarre more formidable, and training hini to
those great qualities which were to make him a good king,
generous, popular, and capal)le of managing the affairs
of Europe, after having made him a hero, sagacious,
terrible, and clement iu the conduct of wan The good
40 C O L I G N I.
■
understanding be kept up between the French and tbe
Germans of his army, whom the interests of religion alone
Were ineffectual to unite ; the prudence with which he con-
trived to draw succours from England, where all was not
quiet; his art in giving a spur to the tardiness of the,
princes of Germany, who, not having so much genius as
himself, were more apt to despair of saving the protes-
tantsof France, and deferred to send auxiliaries, who were
no longer hastened in their march by the expectation of
plunder in^a country already ravaged ; are master-pieces of
bis policy. Coligni was an honest man. Guise wore the
mask of a greater number of virtues ; but all were infected
by his ambition. He had all the qualities that win the
heart of the multitude. Coligni, more collected in him-^
self, was more esteemed by his enemies, and respected by
his own people. He was a lover of order and of his coun-
try. Ambition might bear him up, but it never first set
him in motion. Hearty alike in the cause of protestantisda
and of his country, he was never able, by too great aus-
terity, to make his doctrine tally with the duties of a sub*
ject> With the qualities of a hero, he was endowed with a
gentle soul. Had he been less of the great man, he would
have been a fanatic ; he was aii apostle and a zealot. His
life was first published in 1575, 8vo, and translated and
published in English in .1576, by Arthur Golding. There
is also a life by Courtilz, 1686, 12mo, and one in the
" Hommes lUustres de France." * .
COLIGNI (Henrietta), countess de la Suze, a French
{>oetess, whose works have been printed with those of Pel-
ison and others in 1695, and 1725 in 2 volumes 12mo^ was
the daughter of Gaspar de Coligni, thie third of that name^
marshal of France, and colonel-general of infantry. She
was very early married, in 1643, when she could not be
more^than seventeen, to Thopias Hamilton, earl of Had->
dington, according to Moreri, but we find no mention of
this in the Scotch peerage. After his death she espoused
the count de la S\ize, of an illustrious house in Champaigne*
But this second match proved unfortunate, owing to the
furious }ealousy of the count her husband, whose severities
towards her made her abjure protestantism, and profess the
qatholic faith, which occasioned queen Christina of Sweden
to say, ^Hhat she had changed her religion, that she might not
^ Moreri.— Diet. Hist. editioQ 1789.— Clement Bibl. Cari^use,
C O L I G N I • .41
see her husband, neither in this world nor the next.*^ Their
antipathy became «o great that the countess at last dis^
aimuUed the marriage; and to induce the count to accede
to it, she offered 25,000 crowns, which he accepted. She
dien gave herself up to the study of poetry, and became
much admired by the geniuses of her l)ime, who made her
the subject of their eulogjums. Her fort lay in the ele-
giac strain, and those works of hers which have come down
to us have at least a delicate turn of sentiment. Her other
poems are songs, madrigals, and odes. The wits of her
time gave her the majesty of Juno with Minerva^s wit and
Venus^s beauty In some verses, attributed to Bouhours :
but her character in other respects appears not to have
been of the most correct kind. She died at Paris, March
10, 1673.'.
COLLADO (Diego), a Spanish Dominican of the six*
teenth century, went as a missionary to Japan m 1621, but
hid endeavours being obstructed, he made a second at*
tempt in 1635, which was also unsuccessful, and he was
recalled by the king to Spain : in his voyage home he was
shipwrecked, and lost his life at Manilla in 1638, leaving
behind him many works ; of these the principal are^ a
" Japonese Grammar and Dictionary in Latin ;" " A con-
tinuation of Hyacinth Orfanels Hist Ecclesiastica Japon. ;**
^' Dictionarium Linguse Sinensis, cum explicatione Latina
et Hispanica, cbaractere Sinensi et Latino.^' '
COLLAERT (Adrian), an engraver ai^ print-seller of
Antwerp, of the sixteenth century, is said to have received ,
the first instructions in his art, in the place of his nativity ;
after which he repaired to Italy to complete his studies*
He contributed not a little, by his assiduity, and the faci^
lity of his graver, to the numberless sets of prints of sacred
stories, huntings, landscapes, flowers, fish, &c. with which
the states of Germany and Flanders were at that time inun-
dated. Many of these are apparently from his own de<-
sigus, and others from Martin de Vos, Theodore. Bernard,
P. Breughel, John Stradanus, Hans Bol, and other masters.
His style of engraving is at the same time niasterly and
neat, and his knowledge of drawing appears to have been
considerable ; but his prints partake of the defects of his
contemporaries, his masses of light and shade being too
much scattered, and too equally powerful. The following
! Diet. Hitt— Moreii^-Biog. Oallica. * Moreri.— Diet. Hist.
4» . C O L L A E R T.
ar^ amongst his numerous performances. The '^ Life of
Christ in 36 small prints/' '^ The - twel\re months, small
cifcies from H. BoL'* ^* The women of Israel chanting
the pss^lm of praise, after the destruction of the Egyptians
in the Red Sea.'* This artist flourished according to Strutt
und Heinecken about 1530^-'1550. His son, Hans or
John, was an excellent draughtsman and engraver. He
studied some time in Rome, and afterwards settled in his
native place,. Antwerp, where he assisted his father in most
of bis great works ; and afterwards published a prodigious
Dumber of prints ' of his own, nowise inferior to those of
Adrian. The works attributed by some to one Herman
Cobleot, are, by Heinecken, supposed to be by this master.
Hi^ prints,. according to Strutt, Jare dated from 1555 to
1622, so that he must have lived to a great age. ' We shdll
only notice the following amongst his numerous perform-
ances : *^ The Life of St. Francis in 1 6 prints lengthways,
surrounded by grotesque borders.'* ^ Time and Truth," a
small upright printl>eautifully engraved, from J. Stradanus ;
f' The Last Judgment," a large print, encompassed with
small stories of the life of Christ. M. Heinecken mentions
^ print by an artist, who signs himself William CoUaert,
and supposes him the son of John Coliaert. *
COLLANGE (Gabriel de), bom at Tours in Auvergne,
in 1524, was valet-de-chambre to Charles IX. Though a
true catholic, he was taken for a protestant, and assassi-
nated as such in the massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572.
He translated and augmented the polygraphy and the ca«
balistic writing of Trithemius, Paris, 1561, in 4to, which a
Frispn, named Dominique de Hottinga, published under
his own name, without making any mention either of Tri-
themius or of Collange, at Embden, 1620, 4to. Col-
lange had also some skill in the mathematics and in cosmo-
graphy, and left a great many learned manuscripts de-
scribed in- our authorities. ^
COLLE (Charles), secretary and reader to the duke
of Orleans, was bom at Paris in 1709, and died in the same
city Nov. 2, 1783, at the age of 75. In his character were
united a singular disposition to gaiety, and an uncommon ^
degree of sensibility ; the death of a beloved wife acce<^
lerated his own. Without affecting the qualfties of bene-*
>' Strutt — Heinecken. — ^Rees's Cyclopaedia.
* Moreri.— Du Msine Bibl. Francoise.— Nicem*
C O L L E. 43
ficence and humanity, he was huohane and beneficent
Having a propensity to the drama from his in&ncy^ he
cultivated it with success. His ^^ Partie-de-Chasse <ie
Henri IV.*' (from which our ** Miller of Mansfibld'' is
taken) exhibits a very faithful picture of that good king*
His comedy of ^^ Dupuis and Desronais/* in die manner of
Terence^ may perhaps be destitute of the vis comica ; but
the sentiments are just, the characters well> supported, and
the situations pathetic. Another comedy, entitled '^ Truth
in wine, or the Disasters of Gallantry,'* has more of sa-
tire and broad humour. There are several more pieces of
his, in which he paints, with no less liveliness than truths
the manners of his time ; but his pencil is frequently aiS
licentious as those manners. His talent at song-writing
procured him the appellation of the Auacreoa of the age,
but here too he was deficient in delicacy. His song on
Ibe capture of Portmahon was the means of procuring him
a pension from the court of 600 livres, perhaps the first
favour of the kind ever bestowed. He was one of ^ the last
survivers of a society of wits who met under the name of
the Caveau, and is in as much honourable remembrance
as the Kit-Kat club in London. This assembly, says a journal'!'
ist, was of as much consequence to literature as an aca-
demy. C0II6 frequently used to regret those good old
times, when this constellation of wits were wont to meet
together; as men of letters, free and independent. The
works of this writer are collected in 3 volumes, 12mo,
under the title of ** Theatre de Society." Co\\6 was a
cousin of the poet Regnard, whom he likewise .resembled
in his originality of genius. '
COLLET (Peter), a voluminous French divine, was a
native of Ternay in Vendomois, doctor of divinity, and
priest of the mission of St. Lazare. He was born Sept. 6,
1693, and died at Paris Oct. 6, 1770, at the seminary des
Bons Enfans, where he resided. M. Collet published '^^ A
System of Moral Theology," 15 tom. which make 17 vols;
8vo, in Latin, because tom. 1, and tom. 13, are divided
each into two, 1744 etseqq. An abridgment of this work>
S vols. 12mo ; a scholastic work in 2 vols. ; *^ Tr. des Dis-
penses," 3 vols. ; "Tr. des Saints Mysteres," 3 vols.; "Tr.
des Indulgences^ et du Jubil^," 2 vols. 12mo; and some
I Diet Hist.
4A COLLET.
books of devotion, which ar« very superficial ; *' Sermons,*'
2 vols. 12tno, an abridgment of Pontas, 2 vols. 4to, &c. ^
COLLET (Phiubert), a learned advocate of parlia-
ment of Dombes, was born February 15, 1643, at Cbatilon-
les-D(xnbes, where he died March 31, 1718, aged seventy*
six. He left " Traits des Excommunications,'' 1689,
12mo; " Tn de I'Usure,'' 1690, 8vo; Notes on the cus-
tom of Bresse, 1698, fol. and several other works contain-
ing singular sentiments, more free than his church per-
mitted.'
COLLETET (Wiluam), one of the members of the'
French academy, was born at Paris in 1598, and died in
the same city February 10, 1659, ^ged sixty-one, leaving-
scarcely enough to bury him. Cardinal Richelieu ap-
pointed him, one of the five authors whom he selected to
write for the theatre. Colletet'alone composed " Cyminde,'*
and had a part in the two comedies, the ** Blindman oC
Smyrna,'* and the " Tuilleries," Reading the monologue
in this latter piece to the cardinal, he was so struck with
six bad lines in it, t&t he made him a present of 600
livres ; saying at. the same time, that this was only for the
six verses, which he found so beautiful, that the king was
not rich enough to recompense him for the' rest. How-
ever^ to shew his right as a patron, and at the same time
his judgment as a connoisseur, he insisted on the altera-
tion of one word for another. CoUetet refused to comply
with his criticism ; and^ not content with defending his
verse to the cardinal's face, on returning home he wrote to
kun on the subject The cardinal had just read his letter,
wlien some courtiers came to compliment him on the suc-
cess of the king's arms, adding, that nothing could with-
stand his eminence! — ^^ You are much mistaken," answered
be smiling ; ^' for even at Paris I meet with persons who
withstand me." They asked who these insolent peryyns
could be ? " It is Colietet," replied he ;'" for, after having
contended with me yesterday about a word, he will not
yet submit, as you may see here by this long letter he
has been writing to me." This obstinacy, however,
did not so far irritate the minister as to deprive the poet
of his patronage. CoUetet had also other benefactors*
Harlay, archbishop of Paris, gave him a handsome reward
1 Diet Histk t Morerl
«
1
C O L L E T E T. 4S
for his fajmn on the immaculate conception ; by sending
him an ApoUo of solid silver. — CoUetet took for his se«
cond wife, Claudine his maid servant ; and, in oi^r to
justify his choice, published occasionally pieces of poetry
in h^ name ; but, this little artifice being presently dis*
covered, both the supposititious Sappho, and the inspirer
of her lays, became the objects of continual satire. This
marriage, in addition to two subsequent ofies, to the losses
he suifered in the civil wars, and to his turn for dissipa-
tion, reduced him to the extreme of poverty. His works
appeared in 1653, in i2mo. ^
COLLIER (Jeremy), an eminent English divine, was
born at Stow Qui in Cambridgeshire, Sept. 23, 1650. His
father Jeremy-Collier was a divine and a considerable lin-
guist ; and some time master of the iree*scho6l at Ipswich,
in Suffolk. He was educated under bis father at Ipswich,
whence he was sent to Cambridge, and admitted a poor
scholar of Caius college under the tuition of John EUys,
in April 1669. He took the degree of B. A. in 1673, and
that of M. A. in 1676 ; being ordained deacon the same
year by Gunning, bishop of Ely, and priest the year after
by Compton bishop of London. He officiated for some
time at the countess dowager of Dorset's at Knowle in
Kent, whence he removed to a small rectory at Aiiipton
near St. Edmi^id's Bury in Suffolk, to which he was pre-
sented by James Calthorpe, esq. in 1679. After he had
held this benefice six years, he resigned it, came to Lon-
don in 1685, and was some little time after made lec-
turer of Gray's Inn. But the revolution coming on, the
public exercise of bis function became impracticable.
* Collier, however, was of too active a spirit to remain
supine, and therefore began the attack upqp the revolution :
for bis pamphlet is said to have been the first written on
that side the questio^n after the prince of Orange's arrival,
with a piece entitled ^* The Desertion discussed in a letter
to a country gentleman, 1/688," 4to. This was written in
answer to a pamphlet of Dr. Gilbert Burnet, afterwards
bishop of Salisbury, called <^ An Enquiry into the present
State of Affairs, &c." wherein king James is treated as a
deserter from his crown ; and it gave such offence, that,
after the government was settled. Collier was sent to New-
gate, where be continued a close prisoner for some months,
1 Morcrl— BailUt JTuf emess.^Dict. Hist.
46 COLLIER.
Ibut was at length diischarged without being brought io i
trial. He afterwards published the following pieces: 1.
A truslation of: the 9tb, lOth, lltb^ and 12th books of
Sleid^'s Commentaries^ 1689y 4to. 2. ^^ Vindicise juris,
regii, or remarks upon a paper entitled An Enquiry into
the measures of submission to the Supreme Authority,'*
1689, 4to. The author of this inquiry was also Dr. Bur-
Bet. 3. ^^ Animadversions upon the modern explanation
of 2 Hen. YIL damp. i. or a king de facto," 1639, 4to. 4«
^ A Caution, against Inconsistency, or the connection be-^
tween praying and swearing, in relation to th^ Civil Pow-*
ers^'' 1690, 4to. This discourse is a dissuasive from join-
ing in public assemblies. 5. ^^ A Dialogue concerning the
Times, between Philobelgus and Sempronius, 1690, 4to :
to the right honourable the lords, and to the gentlemen
convened at Westminster, Oct. 1690." This is a petition
for an inquiry into the birth of the prince of Wales, and
printed upon a half sheet 6. "Dr. Sherlock's Case of
Allegiance considered, with some remarks upon his Vin-»
dication," 1691, 4to. 7. " A brief essay concerning thd
independency of Church Power," 1692, 4to. The design
of this essay is to prove the pubUc assemblies guilty of
schism, upon account of their being held under such
bishops as had assumed, or owned such as had assumed,
the sees of those who were deprived for not taking the
oaths of the new government.
Thus did Collier, by such ways and means as were in
his power, continue to oppose with great vigour and spirit
the revolution and all its abettors : and thus he became
obnoxious to the men in power, who only waited for an
occasion to seize him. That occasion at length came ; for
information being given to the eatl of Nottingham, then
secretary of state, that Collier, with one Newton, another
nonjuring clergyman, was gone to Romney marsh, with a
view of sending to, or receiving intelligence from the other
side of the water, messengers were sent to apprehend
them. They were brought to London, and, after a short
examination by the earl, committed to the Gate-house.
This was in the latter end of 1692, but as no evidence of
their being concerned in any such design could be founds
they were admitted to bail, and released. Newton, as faf
as appears, availed himself of this ; but Collier refused to
remain upon bail, because he conceived that an acknow-
ledgment of the jurisdiction of the court in which thQ bail
COLLIER. 47
was taken, and consequently of the power from whence
the authority of the court was derived, and therefore sur-
rendered in discharge of his bail before chief justice^olt,
and was committed to the king^s^bench prison. He was
released again at the intercession of friends, in a very
few days ; but still attempted to support his principles and
justify his conduct by the following pieces, of which, it is
said, there were only five copies printed: 8. "The case
of giving Bail to a pretended authority examined, dated
from the King's-bench, Nov. 23, 1692," with a preface,
dated Dec. 1692; and, 9. " A Letter to sir John Holt,**
dated Nov. 30, 1692; and also, 10. ''A Reply to some
Remarks upon the* case of giving bail, &c. dated Aprfl,
1693." He wrote soon after this, 11, " A Persuasive to
consideration, tendered to the Royalists, partieularly chose
of the Church of England," 1693, 4to. It was afterwards
reprinted in 8vo, together with his vindication of it, against
a piece entitled "The Layman's Apology." He wrote
also, 12. *' Remarks upon the Loudon Gazette, relating
to the Streights' fleet, and the Battle of Landen in Flan-
ders," 1693, 4to.
We bear no more of Collier till 1696 ; and then we find
him acting a very extraordinary part, in regard to sir John
Friend and sir William Perkins, who were convicted of
being concerned in the assassination plot. Collier, with
Cook and Snatt, two clergymen of his own way of think*-
ing, attended those unhappy persons at the place of their
execution, upon April 3 ; where Collier solemnly absolved
the former, as Cook did the latter, and all three joined in
the imposition of hands upon them both. This, as might
well be expected, was looked upon as an high insult oa
the civil and ecclesiastical government ; for which reason
there was a declaration, signed by the two archbishops
and the bishops of London, Durham, Winchester, Coven-
try and Litchfield, Rochester, Hereford, Norwich, Pe-
terborough, Gloucester, Chichester, and, St. Asaph, in which
they signified their abhorrence of this scandalous, irregular,
schismatic, and seditious proceeding. This "Declaration,"
which may be seen in the Appendix to the third vol. of the
State Tracts in the time of king William, did not only
bring upon them eccledastical censiare ; they were prose-
cuted also in the secular courts, as enemies to the govern-
ment In coiisequence of this Cook and Snatt were eom^-
mitted to Newgate, but afterwards released without being
48 COLLIER.
brought to a tria) ; but Collier having still his old scruple
about putting in bail, and absconding, was outlawed, and
so continued to the time of his death. He did not fail,
however, to have recourse to his pen as usual, in order to
justify his conduct upon this occasion; and therefore piib*
jished, 13. ^^ A Defence of the Absolution given to sir Wil-
.liam Perkins at the place of execution ; with a farther vin«>
dication thereof, occasioned by a paper entitled, A De«
claration of the sense of the archbishops and bishops, &g.
the first dated April 9, 1696, the other April 21, 1696;'*
to which is added, ^^ A Postscript in relation to a paper
called An Answer to his Defence, &c. dated April 25."
Also, ** A Reply to the Absolution of a Penitent according
to the directions of the church of England, &c.'* dated
May 20,1696: abd ^' An Answer to the Animadversions
on two pamphlets lately published by Mr. Collier, &ci"
dated July 1, 1696, 4to.
When this affair was over. Collier employed himself in
reviewing and finishing several miscellaneous pieces, which
he published under the title of *^ Essays upon several Mo-
ral Subjects." They consist of 3 vols. 8vo; the first of
.which was printed in 1697, and its success encouraged the
author to publish a second in 1705, and a third in 1709*
These were written with such a mixture of learning and
wit, and in a style so easy and flowing, that notwithstand*
ing the prejudice of party, which ran strong against "him,
they were in general well received, and have passed through
many editions since. In 1698 he entered on his celebrated
attempt to reform the stage, by publishing his '^ Short
View of the immorality and profaneness of the English
Stage, together with the sense of antiquity upon this ar-
gument," 8 vo. This engaged him in a controversy with
the wits ; and Congreve and Vanbrugb^ whom, with many
others, he had taken to task very severely, appeared openly
against him« The pieces he wrote in this conflict, besides
the first already mentioned, were, 2. " A Defence- of the
^Short View, being a reply to Mr. Congreve*s amendments,
&c. and to the vindication of the author of the Relapse,"
1699, 8vo. 3. "A Second Defence of the Short View,
being a reply to a book entitled The ancient and modern
Stages surveyed, &c." 1700, 8vo : the book here replied
to was written by Mr. Drake. 4. ^' Mr. CoUier^s dissuasive
from the Play-house : in a letter to a person of quality,
occasioned by the late calamity of the tempest^" 1703^ 8yo.
COLLIER. 4»
S. ^ A fartber Vifidication of tbe Short Vie^, k'c. hi whick
the objections of a late book, enlitled A Defence of Phy%
wt^ considered," 1708, 8vo. ** The Defence of Playa**
has Dir. Filmer for its author* In this controversy \^h the
mtagBj Collier exerted' himself to the utmost advantage;
and shewed that a clergyman might have wit as well as
learning and reason on his side. It is remarkable, that his
labours here were attended with success, and actually pro-
duced repentance and amendnient ; for it is allowed on all
hands, that the decorum which has been for the most part
observed by the later writers of dramatic poetry, is entirely
owing to the animadversions of Collier. What Dryden
said upon this occasion in the preface to his Fables does
much credit to his candour and good sense. *^ I shall say
the less of Mr. Collier, because in many things he has
taxed me justly ; and I have pleaded guilty to all thoughts
* and expressions of mine which can be truly arraigned of
obscenity, profaneness, or. immorality, and retracr them.
If he be my enemy, let him triumph ;^ if he be my friend, as
I have given him no personal occasion to be otherwise, he
will be glad of my repentance. It becomes me not to draw
my pen in the defence of a bad cause, when I have so often
drawn it for a good one,'* If Congreve andVanbrugh had
taken the same method with Dryden, and made an ingenuous
confession of their faults, they would have retired with a
better grace than they did : for it is certain that, with all
the wit which they have shewn in their respective vindica-
tions, they make but a very indifferent figure. " Congreve
and Vanbrugh, says Dr. Johnson, attempted answers. Con-
greve, a very young man, eUted with success, and im-
patient of censure, assumed an air of confidence and se-.
curity. His chief artifice of controversy is to retort upon
his adversary his own words : he is very angry, and hoping
to conquer Collier with his own weapons, allows himself
in the use of every term of contumely and contempt : but
he has the sword without the arm of Scanderbeg ; he has
his antagonist's coarseness, but not his strength. Collier
replied; for contest was his delight: he was not to be
frighted from his purpose, or his prey. The cause of Con-
greve was not tenable : whatever glosses he might use fgr
the defence or palliation of single passages, the general te->
nourand tendency of his plays must always be condemned.
It is acknowledged, with universaLconviction, that the pe-
rusal of bis works will make no man better ; and that their
Vol. X. E
50
C O t L I £ It
ultimaie elfte^ is to reprfsent pleasure in alliapce with vice, ^
and to relax those obligations by which life ought to be
regulated. The suge found other advocates, and. the,
dispute was protracted through ten years : but at last co^
medv grew moremodest, and Collier lived to see the re-
ward of his labour in the reformation of the theatre.*'
The next thing Collier undertook was a work of consi-
derable industry, that of translating Moreri's great ** His-r
torical, geographical, genealogical, and poetical Dictionr
ary.** The two first volumes were printed in 1701, the
third, under the title of a '* Supplement,** in 1 705, and the
fourth, which is called *' An Appendix,** in 1721. This
was a worir of ereat utility at the time it was published. It .
Was the first of its kind in the English language, and many
articles of biography in the Appendices may yet be con*
suited with advantage, as containing particulars which are
not to be found elsewhere. About 1701, he published*
also, ^< An English translation of Antoninus*s Meditations,
&c. to which is added, the Mythological Picture of Cebes,
lic;*' In the reig^ of queen Anne, some overtures were .
made to engage him to a compliance, and he was promised
preferment, if he would acknowledge and submit to the •
government; but as he became a nonjuror upon a prin-
eiple of conscience, he could not be prevailed upon to
listen to any terms. Afterwards he publbhed, in 2 vols.
foIio» ** An Ecclesiastical History of Great Britain, chiefly
of England, from the first planting of Christianity, to the
end of the reign of Charles 11. with a brief account of the
affairs of religion in Ireland^ collected from the best an-
cient historians, councils, and records.** The first volume,
which comes down to Henry VII. was published in 1709,
the second in 1714. ^ This history, which contains, besides
a relation of facts, many curious discourses upon eccle-*
^iastical and religious subjects, was. censured by bishop .
^!0urnet, bishop Nicolson, and doctor Kennet, afterwards .
{liihop of Peterborough; but was defended by Collier in^
two pieces. The first was entitled *^ An Answer to some
exceptions in bishop Bumet*s third part of the History of ^
the Reformation, &c. against Mr. Co11ier*s Ecclesiastical His* .
tory ; together with a reply to some remarks in bishop Nicol-
son*s English Historical Library, &Ck upon the same sub-,
ject, 1715;'* the* second, ''Some Remarks on Dr. Ken-
net*s second and third Letters; wherein his misrepresenta- ,
tiotis of Kr. ColUer*s Ecclesiastical History are laid open, ;
COL t lER/ sX
dttd bis'Calnmnies dispiroved, niif.^^ 0o1iiet*^, preju^icesj^
however, in favour of the popish estaAlishitieiii, aii4'ai^in((t .
the -reformers, render it necessary '^ to read this work with;
intich caution : on the other hand, we Cannot biit obserti^s.
to Collier's credit, an instance Of iii^ gr6at impartiality ini
the second volume of his history ; which' is, that in disciiU
pating the presbyterians from the imputation of their being,
consenting to the murder of Charles I. he has shewn, that,
as they only had it in their power to ptotest, so they 4id^
protest against that bloody act, both before and aift^r it wa^,
committed. * :
In 1713, Collier, as is confidently related, was conse.-;
crated a bishop by Dr. George Hjckes, wh6 had himseli^.
been consecrated suffragan of Thetford by the deprive^ .
bishops of Norwich, Ely, and Peterborough, Feb. 23, \69^,\
As he grew in years, his health became impaired by freqyeni.
attacks of the stone, to which his sedentary life probably '
contributed : so that he published nothing more but a vo-^
lume of ^* Practical Discourses*' in 1725, and an additional;
sermon '< upon God not the origin of Evil," in 1726. £(er\
sides what has been mentioned, he wrote some prefaces,
to other men's works ; and published also an advertiser^!
ment against bishop Burnet's '* History of his own 'fames :" J
this was printed on a slip of paper, and dispersed in all >
the coffee-houses in 1724, and is to be seen in the 'VEven- •
ing-post. No. 2254." He died of the stone, April 26, 1726,
aged seventy -six ; and was interred three days after iu the
CDurch-yard of St. Pancras near London. He was a very
ingenious, learned, moral, and religious man ; and though
stiff in hils opinions, is said to have had nothing stiff op: '
pedantic in his behaviour, but a great deal of life, spirit,.,
and innocent freedom. It ought neviMr to be forgot, that
Collier was a man of strict principle, Alid great sincerity,
for to th&t he sacrificed all the most flattering prospects
that could have beea presented to him, and died at an
advanced age in the profession and belief in which he had
lived. lie will long be remembered as the reformer of the
stage, an attempt which.be made, and in which be S^as
tilccessful, single-handed, against a confederacy of dra-^
matic talents the inost brilliant that ever appeared on the.
British stage. His repMtfttion as a man of letters was not .
confined to bis own country: for the learned father Cour-
beville^ who translated into French " The Hero of Bal-
diazar Gratian;" irf his pre&ce to that work, speaks in
5i C 0 t t f E R.
high tent)s of bis << MtsceHatieouft Essays;'' which, ha
gays^ set him upon a Wei with Montaigne, St. Evremondy
La Bruyferc, &c. The same person translated into French
his ^* Short View of the English Stage ;" where he speaks
^f hitn ^gain iii strong ejcpressions of admiration and
esteem. '
CALLINGS (John), an eminent nonconfotmist dirine,
and a Voltiminotid writer, was born at Boxstead, in Essex,
in 1623, and educated at Eniantiel college, Cambridge,
where he took his degrees, probably during tht usurpation,
as we find him D. D. at the restoration. He had the living
of St Stephen's Norwich, from which he was riected for
non-conformity in 1662. His epitaph says he discharged
the work of the ministry in that city for forty- four years„
which is impossible, unless he continued to preach as a
dissenter after his ejection. He was one of the comtnis-
idoners at the Savoy conference in the reign of Charles IL
He particularly excelled as a textuary and critic. He Was
a man of various learning, and much esteemed for his
great industry, humanity, and exemplary life. He wrote
many books of controversy and practical divinity, the most
singular of which is his " Weaver*s Pocket-book,'or Weav-
ing spiritualized," 8vo. This book was particularly adapted
to the pkce of his residence, which had been long fatuous
for the 'manufacture' of sfilks. Granger remarks that Mr.
; Boyle, in his ** Occasional Reflections on several subjects,,"
published in 1665, seems to have led the way to spiri-
tualizing the coo^mon objects, business, and occurrencet
of life. This was much practised by Mr. Flavel, and by
Mr. Hervey; it is generally a very popular method of
conveying religious sentiments, although it is apt to de-
generate into vulgar familiarity ; but we know not if the
practice may not^e traced to bishop Hall, who published
his " OccasioUal Meditations" in 1633. Calamy has given
a very long list of Dr. Collings's publications, to which we
refer. In Poole's ** Annotatiotis on the Bible" he wrote
those on the last six chapters of Isaiah, the whole of Jere*
miah. Lamentations, the four Evangelists, the epistles to
the Corinthians, Galatians, Timothy and Philemon, and
the Revelations. He dfed at Norwich Jan. 17, 1690.*
COLLING WOOD (Cuthbert, Lord), a brave and
ezceltent English admiral, the. son of Cuthbert CoUing-
> Bi»f. BrIt.<^Dr. JMttioii't Works; 9 Calany.<**€br»nf«r^
COtHNQWpOD. 53
wood, of Neivcastle upon Tyne^ majrobniit (who died in
1775) and of Milcha, davgJit^ and coheir of Raginild
DobspD, of Barwesty in WeitmorelaiM], esq. (who died in
1798) was bora at Newca$Uei Sept. 36, 1748. After be-
ing educated under the care of the r^v. A|n Moisef , along
with the present lord chancellor Eldon, he entered into the
naval service in 176 1» under the protection and patronage
of his maternal uncle^ capt« (afterwards admiral) Braith*
waite, and with him he served for some years. In 1766
we find him a midshipman in the Gibraltar, and from 1767
to 1772, master's mate in the Liverpool, when he was
taken into the Lenox^ under cagt (now admiral) Roddam^
by whom he was recommeiidea to vice<admiral Graves,
and afterwards to vice-admkal sir Peter Parker. In Feb.
1774, be went in the Preston, under the command of vice-
admiral Graves, to America, and the following year was
promoted to the rank of fourth lieutenant in the Somerset,
ou the day of the battle at Bunker's Hill, where he was sent
with a party of seamen to supply^ the army with what was
necessary in that line of service. The vice-admiral being
recalled, and succeeded upon that station by vice*adroiral
Sbuldham^ sailed for England on the 1st of February, 1776.
In the same year lieutenant CoUingwood was sent to Ja-
maica in the Hornet sloop, and soon after the l4>westoffe
came to the same station, of which lord Nelson was at that
time second lieutenant, and with whom he had been before-
in habits of great friendship. His friend Nelson had en-
tered the service soma years later than himself, but was
made lieft tenant in the Lowestoffe, captain Locker, in 1777.
Here their frietndship was renewed ; and upon the ar/ival
of vice-admiral ^r Peter Parker to take the command upon
that Nation, they found in him a common patron, who,
while his country was receiving the benefit of his own ser-
prices, wa^ laying the foundation for those future benefits
which were to bie derived from such promising objects of
>patronage and pn>tec|uoD : and here be^an that succession
of fortune which seems to have continued to the last ; when
be, whom the subject of our present memoir had so often
succeeded in the early stages of bis promotion, resigned
the coK^^piand of his victorious fleet into the hands of a
well«tried friend, whom he knew to be a fit successor in
this last and triumphant stage of his glory, as he had been
before in the earlier stages of his fortune. For it is de«-
serving of remask, that whenever the one got a step in
«* C O L L I N G W O O D,
rank, the ofher succeeded to the station wbicli his friend
/ had left ; first in the Lowestoffe,. in which, upon the pro-
motion, of lieutenant Nelson intd the admiral's own ship,
the Bristol, lieutenant Collingwood succeeded to the Lowes*
.toffe;'and when the former was advanced in 1778, from
the Badger to the rank of post captain in tlie Hinchin*
brooke, the latter was made master and commander in the
Badger;. and again upon his promotion to a larger ship,
capt. Collingwood was made post in the Hinchinbrooke.
In this dhip capt. Collingwood was employed in the
spring of 17 SO, upon an expedition to the Spanish main,
which, from the unwholesomeness of the climate, proved
fatal to most of his ship's company. In August 1780 he.
quitted this station, and in the following December was
appointed to the command of the Pelican of 24 guns ; but
on the 1st of August 1781, in the hurricane so fatal to the
West India islands, she was wrecked upon the Morant
Quay I but the captain and orew happily got on shore.
He was next appointed to the command of the Sampson, of
64 guns, in which ship he served to the peace of 1783^
when she was paid off, :and he was appointed to the Me-
diator, and sent to the West Indies, upon which station be
remained until the latter end of 1786, Upon his return to
England^ when the ship wi|s paid off, . he visited his native
country,' and remained there until 1790, when on the ex-
pected rupture with ^ Spain, on account of the seizure of
oar ships at Nootfca Sound, he was appointed, to the Mer-
maid of .32 guns, under the command of admiral Cpmisb,
in the West. Indies ; bat the dispute with Spain being ad-
justed without bosUiities, he once more returned to bi4
native country, where in June 1791 he Biarried Sarah,, the
' eldest of the two daughters of John Erasmus Blackett, esq|.
of Newcastle, by whom he left issue two daughters;
: On the beeakmg out of the war widi France in 1793, he.
was: called to the command of the Prince, rear-admiral
Bower's flagTship, with whom he served in this ship, and
afterwards in the Barfieur, until the engagement of June 1,
17^4/ - In this, action he distinguished himself with great,
bravery, and the ship which he commanded is known to have .
JmA its full share in the glory of the day ; though it has been
tbf subject of conversation with the public, and was probably
the source of some painful feelings at the moment in the
caj^tain's awn mind, that no notice w^ taken of his seiy .
"^ihtB upon tUs occasioQ/ nor his naoie once mentioned in
the oflfeial dispatches of lord Howe to the admiralty;
Rear-admiral Bowyer^s flag, in consequence of his ho-
nourable wound in this day^s action^ no longer flying on-
board the Barfleiir, captain CoUingwood was appointra to:
the coounand of the-Hector^ on the 7th of August^ 1794^
and afterwards to the Excellent, in which he was employed*
in the blockade of Toulon, and in this ship he had the ho-^
uour to acquire fresh laurels in the brilliant victory off the
Gape of St. Vincent^s, on the 14th of February, 1797. In
this day's most memorable engagement, the Excellent took
a distinguished part, and. so well did Ndson know his va»
lue, that when the ship which captain Collingwood com-
aaanded was sent to reinforce this sqiiadron, he exclaimed
with great joy and confidence in the talenu and bravery of
her captain, *< See here comes the Excellent, which is aa
good as two added to our number/' And the support
which he in particular this day received from this slap, be
gratefully acknowledged in the following laconi¬e of
thanks : . • ■
^< Dear C<dlingwood ! A friend in need is a friend in*
deed." .
It dad not fall to his lot to have zj^y share in the subse-
quent battle of the Nile, nor had he the good fortune to
be placed in a station where, any further <q»portttnity was
afforded to display his talents during the remainder of the
war. He continual in the command of the Excellent,
under the flag of lord St. Vincent, till January 1799, when
his ship was paid off:, and on the 14th of February, in tfai^
same year, on the promotion of flag officen, he was raised
to the rank of reav-admiral of the white; and on'the 12th
of May following, hoisted his flag on board the Triumpby
one of the ships under the command of lord Bridport on
the Channel station. In the month of June laoo be shifted
his flag to the Barfleur, on the same station ; and in ISOl
^ VMS promoted to the rank of rear-admiral of &e red, in
which ship, and upon the same service, he continued to
the end 6f the war, without any op(^ortuntty of doing mote
than eflbctually blockading the enemy'fi fleet in their own
port% while they were proudly vaunting of their prepara«
tions for invading us : a service not less important to the
honour, the interest, and the security of the natbn, than
those more brilliaDlt achievemenu which dazale the public
«ye; .
56 COLLINOW O O D.
On th6 re-comineQcaneht of bostiiities, however, id-
miral Coilingwood was again called iato set^rice, and oa
^e promotion of admirals on the 23d of April, 1604, was
made vice-admiral of the blue, and resumed hit fomier
station off Brest. The close blockade which admiral Com*
wallis kept up requiring a constant succession of sh^is, tte
vice*admiral shifted his flag from ship to ship as oecasioa
required, by which he was always upon his station in a diip
fit for service, without the necessity of quitting his station,
and returning to port for victualling or repairs. But frofli
this station he was called in May 1805, to a more active
service, having been detached with a reinforcement of shipa
to the blockading fleet at Ferrol and Cadiz. Perhaps it
would be difficult to fix upon a period, or a p«rt oi like
character of lord Coilingwood, which called for powers of a
more peculiar kind, or displayed his talents to move advau*-
tage, than the period and the service in which he was now
employed. Left with only four ships of the line, to keep
in nearly four times the number, it seems almost impoesi«
ble so to have divided bis little force as to deceive the
enemy, and effect the object of his service; bat^tfaishe
certainly accomplished. With two of his ships close in ^
usual to watch the motions of the enemy, and make signals
to the other two, which were so disposed, and at a distance
from one another, as to repeat those signals from one to
the other, and again to other ships that were supposed to
receive and answer them, he continued to delude the ene*
my, and led them to conclude that these were only part of
a larger force that was not in sight, and thus he not only
secured his own ships, but effected an important service to
his country^ by preventing the execution of any plan that
the enemy might have had in contemplation.
On the return of lord Nelson in the month of SeptemAwr
he resumed the command, and vice-admiral Coilingwood
was his second. Arrangements were now made, and such
a dispasition of the force under his command as might draw
the combined fleets' out, and bring them to action. In a
letter to a friend, dated the 8d of October, lord Nelson
wrote that the enemy were still in port, and that something
must be done to bring them to battle. ^' In less than a
fortnight,'* he adds, ^^ expect to^bear from me, or of me,
for who can foresee the fate of battle?"
At length the opportunity offered. The plan that was
laid to lure them out succeeded. Admiral Louis having
C O L H N O W O O ]>• 57
haea detacfaecl wkh four hIA of the line to attend a convoj
to » cenoia distaoce up the Mediter ranean, aad the rest of
ike fleet oo dUpoied as to lead the enemy to believe it to
be not 8o, otrong as it was, adoiiiial Villeoeuve was teinipted
to veotare out with 33 ships under his oocnmaud (18 French
and 15 Spanish)^ in the hope of doing sooiethingto retrieve
tbe honour of their flag. On the 1 9th of October lord
Nelson received tbe jojful intelligence from the ships that
wem left to watch th^r motions, that the combiiied fleet
bad p«t to seat ^>^d as they sailed with light westerly
winds, his lordship concluding their destination to be tbe
Mectiterranean, made ail sail for the Straits with the Beet
aader his oommand, consisting of 27 ships, three of which
were sixty-feurs. Here be learnt from capt. Blackwood
that they had not yet passed the. Strain, and on tbe 2 1 st,
at day^ligbt, had the satisfaction to discover them six or
seven miles to t^e eastward, and imaaediately made the
signal for the fleet to bear up in two cdnasos. It fell to
the lot of vice-admiral CoUingwood, in the Royal Sove«
reign, to lead his column into action, and first to t>reak
through tbe enemy's line, which he did in a manner that
oommanded the admiration of both fleets, and drew from
lord Nelson tbe enthusiastic expression, ^ Look at that
noble fellow ! Observe tbe style in which he carries his
ship into action !'' while the vice-^admiral, mth equal jus«
tice to the spirit and valour of his friend, was eijoying tho
proud honour of bis situation, and saying to tliose about
hiaSy *< What would Nelson give to be in our situation !''
Of this memorable engagement, which wili occur again
in our life of Nelson, we shall only notice in this place,
iiM it began at twelve o'clock : at a quarter past one, lord
Nelson received tbe fatal wound ; and at three, P. M. many
of the ships, having struck their colours, gave way. Tbe
British fleet was left with nineteen ships of tbe enemy, as
the trophies of their victory ; two of them first rates, with
three flag officers, of which the commander in chief ( Ville^
aeuve) was one. On the death of lord Nelson, the com^
mand of his conquering fleet, and the completion of the
victory, devolved upon vice-admiral CoUingwood, who, as
he bad so often done in the early part of has Hfe, now for
the last time succeeded him, in an arduous moment, and
mast difficult service. Succeeding high gales of wind en<*
dangeiod tbe fleet, and particularly threatened the destrnc«
tion ofibe- captured ships -, but by the extmordinary exer^
/
/
58 COLLING WO O D.
tions that were made for their preservation, four 74 gurh*
ships (three of the;m Spanish and one Freiich) were savieA
and sent into Gibraltar. Of the remainder, nine were*
wrecl^ed, three burnt, and three sunk. Two others were
taken, but got into Cadiz in the gale. Four others which
had got off to the southward were afterwards taken by the
squadron under sir Richard Strachan. So that outt>f the
thirty-three ships, of which the combined fleet consisted^
there were only ten left, and many of these in such a shat*
tered state, as to be little likely to be further serviceable. ■•-
Were we disposed, in our esteem of tlus distinguished'
character, to pay a compliment to the vice-admirars merits
that might be considered as more exclusive, it would be
the pious gratitude of his feelings, and his confidence ia
God^ that we should hold up as a discriminating feature.
We have seldom found the man who can lay aside the pride
of the conqueror, and ascribe his successes to God. This
in a most eminent degree lord CoUingwood did. Scarce
was the battle over, when the arrangement was made for a
day of thanksgiving throughout the fleet, to that Provi*
dence to whom he felt himself indebted for the brilliant
success with which the day had terminated. So much to
the honour of this illustrious and Virtuous character is the
general order that he issued on this occasion, that it ought
to be recorded as one of the traits which must ever redound
to his praise.
^' The Almighty God^ whose arm is strength, having of
his' great mercy been pleased to crown the exertions of his-
majesty's fleet with success, in giving them a complete
victory over their enemies on the 21st of this month ; and
that all praise and thanksgiving may be offered up to the
throne of grace, for the great benefit to our country and to
mankind, I have thought proper that a day should be ap--
pointed of general humiliation before God, and thanks-
giving for his merciful goodness, imploring forgiveness
of sins, a continuation of his divine mercy, and his con-
stant aid to us in the defence of our country's liberties and
laws, and without which the utmost efforts of man are'
nought; and direct therefore that be'
appointed for this holy purpose.
<< Given on board the Euryalus, off Cape TraMgar,
October 22, 1805* C. COLUN€Wdofl>."'
Oh the i^th of November, 1805, when the rank of rekr-
admiral of the red was restored in the navy, he was ad«-
COLLINGWOOD. 69
▼anced from tbeblae to the rank of vice-admiral of the red.
On the same day his majesty was graciously pleased to
confer upon him and his heirs mala^ the title of baron Ccl»
linwood, of Caldbume and Hethpoole, in the county of
Northiimberland : and the two houses of parliament, in
addition to their vote of tbiuks, concurred in a grant of
two thousand pounds a year for his own life, and the lives
of his two succeeding male heirs, which upon finding that
he had only two daughters, was afterwards changed into
pensions upon them.
Lord CoUingwood was also confirmed in the command
of the Mediterranean fleet, to which he succeeded by se-
niority, and in the opinion of lord Hood wanted only an
opportunity to prove himself another Nelson. The bad
state of bis health had required his return home, but he
vTemained on his station in hopes that the French fleet
would come out from Toulon. His last active service was
the direction of the preparations which ended in the de-*
struction of two French ships of the line on their own coast
He had not seen any of his relatives for a considerable'
period before his death, yet he appears to have been sen-'
sible that his illness would prove fatal. He even ordered
a quantity of lead on board at Minorca, for the purpose of
making a coffin for his conveyance to England. He died
off Minorca, March 7, 1810, on board the Viliede Paris.
His death is supposed to have been occasioned by a large
stone in the passage to the bladder ; and for some time
before bis death he was incapable of taking any sustenance.
His body having been brought to England was interred.
May 1 1 , in St. PauPs cathedral, with great funeral solem«-
nity. Lord CoUingwood was a man of amiable temper and
manners, dignified as an officer and commander, yet with-
out any pride ; and social among his friends even to a
degree of playfulness. His mind was impressed by a
strong sense of religion, which he reverenced and enjoined
to those under him. He had no enemies' but those of his
country, and while he cherished all the Old English pre*
judices against those, he displayed, in the most trying mo«-
ments, a spirit of humanity which gained their affections.
Of this an instance occurred after the great battle of Tra*
falgar which must not be passed oyer superficially. In
clearing the captured ships of the prisoners, he found so
many wounded men, that, as he says in his dispatches, ^< to
alleviate. bttfoan miseiy as muoh as was in bis power,'' he
«0 COLLINGWOO0.
semi to the marquis de SoIatiOi governor*general of Anda*
lusini to offer him the wounded to the care of their comitry,
on receipts being giyeo ; a proposal vf hicb was received
with the greatest thankfulness^ not only by the governor^
but by the whole eountry, which resounded with expres*
iions of gratitude. Two French frigiues were sent out to
receive them, with a proper officer to give receipts, bring-^
ing with them all the Eoglish who bad been wrecked in
several of the ships, and an offer from the marquis de So*
Jano of the use of their hospitals for our wounded, pledge
log the honour of Spain for their being carefully attended.^
COLLINS (At^THOjEVY), an eminent, writer on the side
of infidelity, was the sou of Henry Collins, esq. a gentle-
man of considerable fortune; and born at Heston near
Hounslow,' in Middlesex, June 2I| 1676^. He was edu-^
eaied in ejassteal learning at Eton school, and removed
thence to Ktng^s college in Cambridge, where he bad for
bis tutor Francis Hare, afterwards bishop of Chicbesten
UpoB leaving college be went to London, and was entered
a student in the Temple; but not relishing the study of
the law, he abandoned it, and applied himself to letters
in general In 1 700 be published a tract entitled *^ Se-*
▼eral of the London Cases considered.*' He cultivated an
acquaintance and maintained a correspondence with Locke
in 1703 and 1704 ; and that Locke bad a great esteem for
<him, appears from some letters to him published by Des
Maiseaux in his collection of *^ Several pieces of John Locke^
never before printed, or not extant in his works,'' Locke,
who died Oct 28, 1704, left also a letter dated the 23d,
to be ddivered to Collins after bis decease, full of con*
£dence and the warmest affection ; which letter is to be
found in the collection above mentioned, it is plain from
these meomarials, that Collins at that time appeared tq
Locke to be ail impartial and disinterested inquirer after
truth, and not, as he afterwards proved, disingenuous, art-
ful, and impious*
In 1707 he publt^ed ** An essay concerning the us^ of
reason in propositions, the evidence whereof depends upon
human testimony :'* reprinted in 1709, and, as is the case
in all his other writings, without his name. The same
year, 1707, he engaged in the controversy between Dod*
* Mr. Lysons renarks that he was .baptized at Islewortb, and therefore pro-
hal^ly born in that parish. BnTirons, rot. IIL
} NsTsl Chrtnidc for 1806 and I810.-4lsnt. M^. 1910.
COLLINS. €1
welt and ClMke, eoncertiing the natural immortality of
die son)) and wrote, respecting it, 1. <* A letter to the
learned Mr. Henry Dodwell, containing some remarks on
a pretended demonstration of the immateriality and natn-*
ra immortality of the soul, in Mr. Clarke's answer to his
late epistolary discourse,'* Ac. 1707: reprinted in 1709.
2. " A reply to Mr. Clarke's defence of his letter to Mr.
^dwell I with a postscript to Mr«. Milles's answer to Mr.
Dodwell's epistolary discourse,'* l*l6l : reprinted in 1709.
3. '^ Reflections on Mr. Clarke's second defence of hia
letter to Mr. Dodwell," 1707 : reprinted in 171 1. 4. "An
answer to Mr. Clarke's third defence of his letter to Mr.
Dodwell," 1708: reprinted in 1711.
Dec. 1709, came out a pamphlet, entitled, ^* Priest«>
craft in perfection ; or, a detection of the fraud of insert*
ing and continuing tliat clause, < The church hath power
to decree rites and ceremonies, and authority in controver*
sies of faith,' in the twentieth article of the Articles of the
Church of England.** And, Feb. the year following, ano*
ther called ^ Reflections on a late pamphlet, entitled.
Priestcraft in perfection, &c." both written by our author.
The second and third editions of his " Priestcraft in per-*^
fection** were printed, with corrections, in 1710, 8vo.
This book occasioned great and diligent inquiries into the
subject, and was reflected on in Tarious pamphlets, ser*
mons, and treatises* These were answered by Collins,
but not till 1724, in a work entitled, ** An historical and
critical essay on the 39 Articles of the Church of England :
wherein it is demonstrated, that this clause, * The Church,
tec* inserted in the tOth article, is not a part of the arti-
cle, as they were established by act of parliament in the
ISth of Elizabeth, or agreed on by the convocations of
1562 and'l 57 1.** This ^ssay, however, was principally de-
signed as an answer to '^ The vindication of the Church of
England from the aspersions of a late libel, entitled. Priest-
craft in perfection, wherein th6 controverted clause of the
church*8 power in the !20th article is shewn to be of equal
authority with all the rest of the articles, in 1710," and to
** An essay on the 39 Articles by Dr. Thomas Bennet,**
published in 1715: '* two chief works," says Collins,
•* which seem written by those champions who have been
supplied with materials from all quarters, and have taken
great pains themselves to put their materials into the most
artful light»*^ In the preface he tella us, that he under*
6« COLLIN S,
took this work at the solidtations of a woftbjr minister of
the .gospel, who knew that he had made some inquiries
into the <^ Modern Ecclesiastical History of England ;^' and,
particularly, that he was preparing ''An history of the
variations of the church of Efigland and its clergy from the
reformation down to this time, with an answer to the
cavils of the papists, made on occasion of the said varia-
tions :^' but this work never appeared. The reader may
see the whole state of this controversy in Collier's '' Ec-
clesiastical History," where particular notice is taken of
our author.
In 1710 he published '' A vindication of the Divine At-
tributes, in some remarks on the archbishop of Dublin's
(Dr. King) sermon, entitled. Divine predestination and
foreknowledge consisting with the freedom of man's will."
March 1711, he went over to Holland, where he became
acquainted with Le Clerc, and other learned men ; and
returned to London the November following, to take care/
of his private affairs, with a promise to his friends in Hol-
land, that he would pay them a second visit in a short
time. In 1713 he published his '' Discourse of Free-
thinking, occasioned by the rise and growth of a sect cal-
led Free-thinkers;'* which was attacked by several writers^
particularly b^Hoadly, afterwards bishop of Winchester,
in sogie ''Queries recommended to the authors of the late
discourse of Free-thinking," printed in his collection of
tracts in 17]5,sSvo; and by Phileleittberus Lipsiensis, in
"Remarks upon a late Discourse of Free-thinking, in a let-
ter to F. H. D. D." This Pbileleutherus Lipsiensis was the
learned Bentley ; and tl^ persoq to whom this performance
is -addressed. Hare, afterwards bishop <|f Chichester. The •
first parti>f these remarks gave birth to a pamphlet said to h^ •
written by Hare, entitled, *' The clergyman's thanks to
Phildeutberus for bis remarks on the laiie Discourse of Free-
thinking : in a letter to Dr. Bentley, 1713.*' The late-
Mr. Cumberland, in his ^ Life of himself," informs us, that '
when Collins had fallen into decay of circumstances, '
which, however, we find no where else mentioned. Dr. '
Bentley, suspecting he had written him out of credit by ^
his " Pbileleutherus Lipsiensist" secretly contrived to ad-
minister to the necessities of his bafBed opponent in a mari^
ner that did no less credit to his delicacy than: his iibe- '
rality. Of all this Dr. Bentley we believe was capable, '
but it is certain that Collins lived and died in opulences
C O L L I N Si 6*
I
Soon after the poblicatiop of this wotk, C<^iii naade a
second trip to Holland ; which was ascribed to the general
alarm caused by the ^^ Discourse of Free-thinking," and
himself being discovered by . his printer. This is taken
notice of by Hare : who, having observed that the least ap*
peatance of danger is able to damp in a moment all the
zeal oif the free-thinkers, tells us, that *' a bare inquiry.
uAer the printer of their wicked book has frightened theoiy
aud obliged the reputed author to take a second trip into
Holland ; so great is his courage to defend upon the first
appearance of an opposition. And are not these rare
champions for free-thinking ? Is not their book a demon-
stration that we are in possession of the liberty they pre-
tend to plead for, whi<ih otherwise they durst ne^er have
writ ? And that they would have been as mute as fishes^
had they not thought they could have opened with impun
nity ?^* Hare afterwards tells us, that ^' the reputed au-
thor of. free-thinking is,; for all he ever heard, a sober man,
thanks to his natural aversion to intemperance ; and that,'*
he observed^ ^* is more than can be said of some others of
the club :" that is, t^e club of free-thinkers, which were
supposed to meet and plan schemes in concert, for under-
mining the foundations of revealed religion. The ^' Ois*
course of free-thinking^* wa,s reprinted at the Hagpue, with
some considerable' additions, in 1713, 12mo, though in
the title-page it if said tp, be printed at London. In this
edition tbe,.translations in 8^.yepra| places are corrected from -
Bentley>^ remarkis ;. an4 ;s0^me r^erences are made to those
remarks, and to Hare's \^ Clefgy^nan's thanks.''
While; this book w^ .circulating in England, and aU
parties were exertiijig .(h^ir .a(e^l, .either, by writing, jor -
preaching agaipst it, .th<^'fiuji^r..is said to have received
gre^t civilities abroad., ^ Frp^i Holland, be went to Fian«»
ders, and intended tp )iave.. visited-.. Paris ; but the death
of,a neaf ^lation pll^Iiged hini tp^retiirn t^/ London, where -
he arrived Pet. , l-8>^ 1.7l?,\ gr^fttly : disappointed in jiot ^
having seen Francjq, Italy, &^c. . . I|^. J 7 1 5 , be retived inty
the. county of Esse:9r,/a^4.^^64..^:^Ju^tice of, the peacie
ai\d*deputy-lieutenant for the.saipA.coiiinty, as he.had done
before in the .county . of Middle^;^ .and liberty oif Westmin-
Iter. The. same year he pij|l)U^ ^^;A philosophical iu;-
qoiry concerning Human Lib^yty:" which was reprinted
with sonie corrections in> 17 17., Qr. Sji.muel Clarke wrote -
remarks upon thisinqniry, • which are subjoined to the coU :
«4 COLLINS.-
lection of papers between him and Leibnitz ; bnt CoHilnt
did not publish any reply on 'this subject, beeanse, as wd
are told, though he did not think the doctor had the ad«
▼Mintage over him in the dispute, yet, as he had reprer*
seated bis opinions as dangerous in their con^qneneesly
and iijiproper to be insisted or), Collins affected to say tha^
after such an insinuation, be could not proceed in the dis-<
pute upon equal terms. The inquiry was translated into
French by the rev. Mr. D. and printed in the first Volume
of Des Maizeaux^s ** Recueil de divei'ses pieces sur la phi*
losophie, la religion naturelle, &c. par M. Leibnitz, Clarke,
Newton, &c.'* published at Amsterdam 1720, 2 vols. ISnno.
In 1718 he was chosen treasurer for the county of Esseat,
to the great joy, it is said, of several tradesmen and othem,
who bad large sums of money due to them from the said
county ; but could not get i); paid them, it having been
embezzled or spent by their former treasurer. We are
told that he supported the poorest of them with liis own
private cash, and promised interest to others till it could
be raised to pay them : and that in 1722. all the debts were
by his integrity, care, and management discharged.
It has already been observed, that he published, in 1724,
his ^' Historical and critical essay upon the 39 Articles,
&c.'* The same year he published his famous book, called
** A discourse of the grounds and reasons of the Christian
religion," in two parts ; the first, containing some consider-
ations on the quotations made from the Old in the New
Testament, and particularly on the prophecies cited from
the former, and said to be fulfilled in the latter. The se*
cond, containing an examination of the scheme advanced
by Whiston in his essay towards restoring the true text of
the Old Testament, and for vindicating the citations thence
made in the New Testament. To which is prefixed, ** An
apology for free debate and liberty of writing." This dis-
course was immediately attacked by a great number of
books ; of which Collins has given a complete list, at the
end of the preface to his ** Scheme of liberal Prophecy."
The most considerable were : 1 . " A list of suppositions or
assertions in the late Discourse of the grounds, &c. which
are not therein supported by any real or authentic evi-
dence ; for which some such evidence is expected to be
produced. By William Whiston, M. A." 1724, 8Vo. In
this piece Whiston treats Collins, together with Toland,
in very severe terms^ as guilty of impious frauds and lay-
COLLINS* 64
craft. 2. ^ The literal AccomplishmeQt of teriplure-proT
pbecies, being a full iaiMwer to a late DiiKM^urse of the
grounds^ &c. By William Whiston.^ 3* '* .A defence of
Christianity from the prophecies of the ^ Old Testament^
wherein are considered all the objections against this kind
of proof, advanced in a late Discourse of the grounds, S(c»"
By Edward Chandler, then bishop of Lichfield and Co^
veatry, afterwards of Durham. 4. ^^ A discourse of thei
Connection of the Prophecies in the Old Testament, and
applioation of them to Christ*' By Samuel Clarice, D. D*
rector of St. Jahies's, Westminster. This however wa9
not intended for a direct answer to Collinses book, but as
a supplement, occasioned by it, to a proposition in Clarke-a
*^ Demonstrajtion of the principles of natural aT)d revealed
rtligion ;'* with which it has since been constantly printed.
5. *^ An essay upon the Truth of the Christian religion,
wherein its real foundation upon the Old Testament is
shewn, occasioned by the Discourse of the grounds,"' &c.
By Arthur Ashley Sykes. Collins gives it as bis opinion,
that of all the writers against the '* Grounds," &^c, Sykes.
alone has advanced a consistent scheme of things, which
be has proposed with great clearness, politeness, and
moderatioii. 6. ^* The use and intent of Prophecy in the
several ages of the church. In six discourses delivered at
the Temple church in 1724.'* By Thomas Sherlock, D.D.
Thb was not designed as an answer to the ^^ Grounds,"
&c. but only to throw light upon the argument from pro-
phecy attacked by our author. The reader will find the
rest of the pieces written against the '^ Grounds,'' &c.
enumerated by Collins in the place referred to above;
among which are Sermons, London Journals, Woolston's
Moderator between an infidel and an apostate, &c. amount-
ing in number to no less than thirty-five, including those
already fnentioned. Perhaps there seldom has been a
book to which so many answers have been made in so short
a time, that is, within th^ small compass of two years*
In 1726 appeared his ^^ Scheme of Literal Prophecy con-
tideved ) in a view of the controversy occasioned by a late
book, entitled, A Discourse of the Grounds, &c." It was
printed at the Hague in t vols. 12me, and reprinted at
^London witli corrections in 1727, 8vo. In this woric he
mentions a dissertation he had written, but never pubi»
liflhed, against Whiston's ^^ Vindicatioii of the Sibylline
orack»;** in which he endeavours to shew, that those
VOL.X- . E
6S COLLINS.
oracles were forged t>y the ptimitive Christians, who were
thence called Sibyllists by the pagans. He also meations
a Ml^ discourse of his gpon the miracles recorded in the
Old and New Testament. The " Scheme of Literal Pro-
phecy'* had several answers made to it: the most con^
siderable of which are, 1. ^^ A vindication of the* defence
of Christianity, from the prophecies of the Old Testa*
ment." By Edward Chandler, D. D.; with a Letter from
the rev. Mr. Masson, concerning the religion of Macrobius^
and his testimony touching the slaughter of the infants ait
Bethlehem, with a postscript upon Yirgil^s fourth eclogue,
1728, in 2 vols. 8vo. 2. " The necessity of Divine RevQr
lation, and the truth of the Christian Revelation asserted,
in eight sermons. To which is prefixed a preface, with
some remarks on a late book entitled The Scheme of Li*^
tcral Prophecy considered, &c. By John Rogers, D. D.!!
1727, 8vo. 3. *^ A letter to the author of the Londoa
Journal, April 1, 1727,V written by Dr, Arthur Ashley
Sykes. Collins replied to the twp last pieces, in ^^ A Letr
ter to Rogers, on occasion of hi^ Eight Sermons, &c. tQ
which is added, a Letter printed in the London Journal,
April I, 1727 ; with an answer to? the same, 1727.'\ la
his ^^ Letter to Rogers" be observes, that. the. doctor had
invited him to martyrdom in these words: ^^ A confessor
Of two would be a mighty ornament to his cause. If he
expects to convince us that he is in earnest, and believes
himself, he should not decline giving us this proof of his
sincerity. What will not abide this trial, we shall aspect
to have but a poor foundation.'^ These sentiments. Col*
lins tells us, are in bis opinion false, wicked, inhuman, irr
religious, inconsistent with the peace of* society, and perr
sonally injurious to the author of the " Scheme, &c.'*
He remarks, that it is a degree of virtue to speak what a
hian thinks, though he may do it in such a way as to avoid
destruction of life and fortune, &c.*' He declares, that
the cause of liberty, which he defends, is , ^^ the cause of
virtue, learning, truth, God, religion, and Christiz^nity ;
that it is the political interest, of all coun>tri€»s; that the
degree of it we enjoy in £nglaod is the streiigth, orna*
xnent, and glory of pur own ; that, if he can contribute to
the defence of so excellent a cause, he shall think he hasA
acted a good part in life : in short, it is a causa," says he
to Dr. Rogers, <^ in which, ifyouj influence jand interest
were equal to your inclination to procure martyrdom fo^
me, I would rather suffer; than in any cause whatsoever ;
CO L L I N S. 67
though I should be sorry that Christians should be so weak
ftod inconsisTent with themselves^ as to be your iostrii*
ments in taking my life from me.*'
His health began to decline several years before his
death : and he was extremely afflicted with the stone, which
at last put an end to his life, Dec. 13, 1729; he was in-
terred in Oxford chapel. It is remarkable that notwitb**
standing the accusation of being an enemy to religion, he
declared, just before his last minutes, ** That as he had
always endeavoured, to the best of his abilities, to serve
God, bis king, and his country, so he was persuaded he
ivas going to that place which God had designed for them
that love him.^' Presently after, h^ said, that ^< the ca*'
tholic religion is to love God, and to love man ;** and he
advised such as were about him to have a constant regard
to those principles. His library, which was very large and
curious, was sold by T. Ballard in 1730-1. The cata-
logue was drawn up by Dr. Sykes. We are told, that
^the corruption among Christians, and the persecuting
spirit of ^e clergy, had given him a prejudice against tjie
Christian religion ; and at last induced him to think, that,
upon the foot on which it is at present, it is pernicious to
mankind.^' He has indeed given us himself an unequivocal
iDtimation, that he had actuailly renounced Christianity,
Thus, in answer to Rogers, who bad supposed that it was
inen*s lusts and passions, and not their reason, which
made them depart from the gospel, he acknowledges, that
^ it may be, and is undoubtedly, the case of many, who
reject the gospel, to be influenced therein by their vices
and immoralities. It would be very strange,^' says he, ** if
Christianity, which teaches so much good morality, and
A) justly condemns divers vices, to which inen are prone,
was not rejected by some libertines on that account ; as
the several pretended revelations^ which are established
throughout the world, are by libertines on that very ac«
count also. But this cannot be the case of all who re-
ject the gospel. Some of them who reject the gospel
lead as good lives as those who receive it. And I suppose
diere is no difference to the advantage of Christians,
in point of morality, between them and the Jews, Ma-
hometans, heathens, or others, who reject Christianity.'?
But we ought not to conclude this article without remark*
log, that whatever Mr. Collinses character in private life,
^ was, at the same time, a laost unfair writer* Hn
F2
€8 G O L L I N a
seemed, with all bis morality, to have very little conscience
in his quotations, — adapting them, without sCruple^ to his
own purposes, however contrary they might be to the ge-*
nuine meaning of the authors cited, or to the connection
in which the passages referred to stood. So many facta of
this kind were undeniably proved against him by his ad"?
versartes, that he must ever be recorded as a flagrant in*
stance of literary dising^iuity. Let these facts, which are
clearly proved by Leland, be compared with his dying de^
darations. In addition to the answerers, of Collins, we
may mention dean Swift, in an excellent piece pf irony,
entitled <^Mr. CoUins's Discourse of Freethinkiogy put
into plain English, by way of abstract, for the use of th^
poor," 1713, reprinted in Mr. Nicholses edition of hi9
Works, vol. X» The twelfth chapter also of the ^' Me-
moirs of Martinus Scriblerus," in Pope's Works, is ao
inimitable ridicule on CoUins's arguments against Clarke^
to prove the soul to be only a quality.
In July 1698, when he was just entered into kis 23d
year, he married Martha, the daughter of sir Fraacis Child^
who: was the year following lord mayor of London ; and by
her he had two sons and two daughters. The elder of )m
sons died in his infancy. Anthony, the younger, was born
Oct, 1701, and was a gentleman of great sweetness of teniT
per, a fine understanding, and of good learning. He was
educated at Bene't college in Cambridge, and died unif
versally lamented by all that knew him, Dec. 20, 1723«
The year after, Collins married a second wife, namely £ii«
zabeth, the daughter of sir Walter Wrottesley, hart, but
had no children by her. His daughters survived him, and
wef e .unmarried at his death. ' »
COLLINS (Arthur), a laborious antiquary, whose
name is familiar a3 the compiler of peerages and banonet^
ages> was*born in. 1682. He was the son of William Col-»
lins, esq. gentleman to queen Catherine in 1669, but, as
he. himself informs us, the son of misfortune, his fitthet
having run through more than 30,000/. He received, how<^
ever, a liberal education, and from a very early age culti"*
vated that branch of antiquities, to which he dedicated the
remainder of a laborious life. The first edition of his Peer«
age was published as early as 1708, and we have seen ano^
1 Biog. Brit.>rr-|>Uud's l>eistical Writer8.-'-Wbiston*s Life.-*-<9u^i^i^, 87«
edit. 1S06, voU I. 15; 11. 954.— Cnmberland'i tAft, 4tOy p. U,— Ciirll'ft Col*
Uctioa of XeUen, -&c« t«I. IV. p. 29«
COLLINS. 69
iher edition of 1715, 4 vols. 8t6. It afterwards by various
additionsi aiM under other editors, was extended to seven
voiumes, and with a supplement to nine. The last and
roost improved of all was published in IS 12, under the
care of sir Egerton Brydges, whose attention to the c^rrors
of the preceding editions cannot be too highly praised,
and the additional articles more iihmediately fronv his pen '
are marked by elegance of style and sentiment and a just
discrimination of character. Mr. Cdiins's << Baronetage'*
was first published in 17^0 in two volumes, extended in
1741 to fiv^ volumes, since when there has been no c6n-
tinuation under his name, but the loss is amply supplied
by Mr. Betham's very enlarged work. Mr. Collips's othei^
publications are, 1. " The Life of Cecil, Lord Burleigh,"
1732, 8vo. 2. f< Life of Edward the Black Prince," 114%
Svo, 3. << Letters and Memorialt of State, collected by
Sir Heniy Sidney and others," 1 746, f vols, folio. 4. " His-
torical Collections of the Noble Families of Cavendish,
Holies, Vere, Harley, and Ogle," 175«, folio.. We know-
little of Mr. Collinses private life, unless what is painful to
record, that he seldom received any substantial encourage-
ment from the noble fiimilies on whose history he employed
his time, that he frequently laboured under pecuniary em-**
barrassment^, and as frequently experienced the nullity of
promises from his patrons among the great, until at length '
his majesty George II. granted him a pension of 400/, a
year, wbicb^ however, be enjoyed but a few years. He
died March 16, 1760, at Battersea, where he was buried
on the 24th. He was father of major-general Arthur
Tooker Collins, who died Jan. 4, 1793, leaving issue JDiivid
Collins, esq. the subject of the next article. *
COLLINS (David), judge advocate and historian of the
ncfw settlement in South Wales, the son of gen. A. T. CoW
lins, and of Harriet Frazer, of Pack, in the kin^s county,
Ireland, was born March 3, 1756, and received a liberal
education at the grammar-school of Exeter, where his
fiither then resided. In 1770 he was appointed lieutenant
in the marines; and, in 1772, was with the late admiral
M'Bride, in the Southampton frigate, when the unfortu-
nate Matilda, queen of Denmark, was rescued from the
tiangers that awaited her by the energy of the British go*
1 NtdMliTi BowvOT.-^^flut. Abg. Tolf . LXUL aad JLXXXIU. Psrt L«-Xy*
70 COLLINS.
Vernment, and' conveyed to a place of safety in the king
her brotber^s Hanoverian dominions. On that occasion be
commanded the guard that received her majesty, and bad
the honour of kissing her band. In 177^, he was at the
battle of Bunker^s-bill ; in which the first battalion of ma-
rine3^ to which be belonged, so signally distinguished it- .
self, having its commanding ofEcer, the gallant major Pit-
c:aime, and a great many officers and men, killed in storm-
ing the redoubt, besides a very large proportion of wound-
ed. In 1777, he was adjutant of the Chatham division ;
and, in 1782, captain of marines on-lA)ard the Courageux,
of 74 guns, commanded by the late lord Mulgrave, and
participated in the partial action that took place with the
enemy's fleet, when lord Howe relieved Gibraltar. Re-
duced to half-pay at the peace of 1782, he resided at Ro-
chester in Kent (having previously married an American
l^dy, who survives him, but without issue); and on its
being determined to found a colony, by sending convicts
to Botany Bay, he was appointed judge advocate to the in-
tended settlement, and in that capacity sailed with governor
Philip in May 1787 (who also appointed him his secretary),
which situation he filled with the greatest credit to himself
and advantage to the colony, until his return to England in
3797. The Histoiy of the Settlement, which he soon after
published, followed by a second volume, is a work abound-
ing with information, highly interesting, and written with
the utmost simplicity. The appointment of judge advo-
cate, however, proved eventually injurious to his real in-
terests. While absent, he had been passed over when it
eame to his turn to be put on full pay ; nor was he per-
mitted to return to England to reclaim his rank in the corps :
nor could he ever obtain any effectual redress; but was
afterwards compelled to come in as junior captain of the
corps, though with his proper rank in the army, and died
a captain instead of a colonel*commandant, his rank in the
army being merely brevet. He had then the mortification
of finding that, after ten years^ distinguished service in the
infancy of a colony, and the sacrifice of every real com-
fort, his only reward had been the loss of many years^ rank,
a vital injury to an officer. A remark which his wounded
feelings wrung from him at the close of the second volume^
of his History of the Settlement, appears to have awakened
the sympathy of those in power ; and be was, alonost im-
mediately after its publication^ offered the government of
COLLINS. 71
tke projected seitlemetit on Van Diemeu's land, which he
accepted, and sailed once more for that quarter of th€
globe, where he founded his new colony ; struggled wkh
great difficukies, which he overcame ; and, after remain-
ing there eight years, was enjoying the flourishing state
his exertions had produced, when he died suddenly, after
a few days* conBuement from a slight cold, on the 24th of
March, 1810.*
COLLINS (John), an eminent accomptant and mathe^
matician, was the son of a nonconformist divine, and born
at Wood Eaton near Oxford in March 1624. At sixteen
years of age he was put apprentice to a bookseller in Ox-
ford ; but soon left that trade, and was employed as clerk
under Mr, John Mar, one of the clerks of the kitchen to
prince Charles, afterwards Charles IL This Mar was emi-
nent for bis mathematical knowledge, and constructed those
excellent dials with which.the gardens of Charles L were
adorned ; and under him Collins made no small progress in
the mathematics. .The intestine troubles increasing, he
left that employment and went to sea, where he spent the
greatest part of seven years in an Engltsh merchantman^
which became a man of war in the Venetian service against
the Turks. Here having leisure^ he applied himself to
merchants accompts^ and some , parts of the matbematicsy
for which he had a natural turn ; and on coming home, he
took to the profession of an accomptant, and composed
several useful treatises upon practical subjects. In 1652
he published a work in folio, entitled ^^An Introduction
to MerchantsV Accoippts,*^ which was reprinted in 1665,
,with an additional part, entitled ^^ Supplements to accomp-
tantship and arithmetic.^' A part of this work, relating to
interest, was reprinted ii^ 1685, in a small 8vo volume. In
1658 he published in 4to, a treatise called '^The Sector
on a Quadrant ; containing the description and use of four
several quadrants, each, accommodated for the making of
sun-dials, &c« with an appendix concerning reflected dial-
ling, from a glass placed at any reclination.^' In 1659,
4to, he published his ^' Geometrical dialling ;'' and also
the same year, his '^ Mariuer^s plain Scale ne.w plained/*
In the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, of
which he was now become a member, he fully explained
and demonstrated the. rule given by the Jesuit De Billy,
» Gent. Mag. 1810. Part II.
^i COLLINS.
for'^'^tJinding the number of the Julian period for any year
assLgned, the cycles of the sun and moon, with the Booiaa
inAction for the years being given.'' To this he has
ad%d some very neatly-contrived rules for .the ready find-
ing on what day of the week any day of the month falls for
ever ; and other useful and necessary kalendar rules^ In
the same Transactions he has a curious dissertation con*
cerning the resolution of equations in numbers* In No.
69 for March 167 1, he has given a most elegant construe^
tion of that chorographical problem, namely : '^ The dis-
tances of three oQects in the same plane, and the angles
made at a fourth place in that plane, by observing each
object, being given ; to find the distances of those objects
frpm- the place of observation?" In 1680 be publisb^d a
small treatise in 4to, entitled *^ A Plea for the bringing in
of Irish cattle, and keeping out the fish caught by fc»reign-
ers ; together with an address to the members of parlia-
ment of the counties of Cornwall and Devon, about the
advancement of tin, fishery, and divers manufactures." In
1682 he published in 4tQ, '<A discourse of Salt and
Fishery ;" and in the Philosophical Transactions, No. 159,
for May 1684, is published a letter of his to Dr. John Wallis,
on some defects in algebra. Besides these productions of bis
' pwn, he was the chief promoter of many other valuable
publications in his time. It is to him that the world is in-
debted for the publication of Barrow's *' Optical and geome-
trical lectures;" bis abridgment of ^* Arcbimedes's works,'*
and of ^^ Apollonius's Conies ;" Branker's translation of
** Rbonius's Algebra,- with l^ell's additions ;" " Kersey's
Algebra ;" Wallis's History of Algebra ;" " Strode of Com-
binations ;" and many other excellent works, which were
procured by bis unwearied solicitations.
While AnthoDy earl of Shaftesbury was lord chancellor^
he nominated Collins, in divers references concerning suits
depending in chancery about intricate accounts, to assist
in the stating thereof. From this time his talents were in
request in other places, and by o^ier persons ; by which
he acquired, says Wood, some wealth and much fame, and
became accounted, in matters of that nature, the most
nseful and necessary person of his time ; and in the latter
part of his life, be was made accomptant to the royal fishery
company. In 1682, after the act at Oxford was finished^'
he rode from thence to Malmesbury in Wiltshire, in order
to view the ground to be cut for a river between the Isis
COLLINS. 7«
and the Atoii ; but driniuiig too freely of cycler, when
o?er-heated, be Ml into a consumption, of which be died
Nov« lO, 1683. About twenty-five years after his^ d^th,
all bis papers and most of bis books came into the hands of
the learned and ingenious William Jones, esq. f^ow of die
Royal Society, and father to the more celebrated sir Wm*
Jonea ; among which were found manuscripts upon mathe*
matical subjects of Briggs, Ougbtred, Pell, Scarborough,
Barrow, and Newton, with a multitude of letters receiTed
from, and copies of letters sent to, many learned persons,
particularly PeU, WaUis, Barrow, Newton, James Gregory,
Fiamstead, Townley, Baker, j^rker, Branker, Bemaid,
Slasius, Leibnitz, Iscbirphaus, fiather Bertet, and others*
From these papers it is evident, that Collins held a con«
stant correspondence for many years with all the eminent
mathematiciana of his time, and spared neither pains nor
cost to procure wbat was requisite to promote real science.
Many of the late discoveriea in physical knowledge, if not
actusdly made, were yet brought about by his endeavours*
Thus, in 1666, be had under consideration the manner of
dividing the meridian line on the true nautical chart; a
problem of the utmost consequeiKe in navigation: and
sometime after he- engaged Mercator, Gregory, Barrow,
Newton, and Wallis, severally, to explain and find an easy
practical method" of doing it; which excited Leibnits^
Halley, Bernoulli, and all who had capacity to think upon
such a subject, to give their solutions of it : and by this
means the practice of that most useful proposition is re*
duced to the greatest simplicity imaginable. He employed
some of the same persons upon the shortening and iacili*
tating the method of computations by logarithms^ till at
last that whole affair was completed by Halley. It waa
Collins who engaged all that were able to makis any ad*
vances in the sciences, in a strict inquiry into the several
parts of learning, for which each had a peculiar talent ; and
assisted them by shewing where the defect was in any
useful branch of knowledge ; by pointing out the difficult
ties attending such an inquiry ; by setting forth the ad*
vantages of completing that subject; and lastly, by keep*
ing up the spirit of research and improvement
Collins was likewise the register of all the new improve-
ments made in the mathematical science ; the magazine^
to which all the curious had recourse ; and the common
repository, where every part of useful knowledge was to
1% ' COLLINS.
be found. It was upon thi» account that tbe learned siyled
him *^ the English Mersenus.'* Ifsome of his correspond*
ents bad not obliged him to conceal their communications,
there could have been no dispute about the priority of the
invention of a method of atialyas^ the honour of which evi-
dently belongs to the great Newton. This appears unde-
niably from the papers printed in the ^^ Commercimn epis-
tolicum D. Joannis Collins & aliorum de analysi promota :
jussu societatts regiae inlucem editum, 1712/' in 4to.^
COLLINS (William), an unfortunate but excellent
English poet, was bom at Cbichester,«Dec. 25, about 1720,
the son of a reputable hatter in that city. In 1733 he was
admitted scholar of Winchester college under Dr. Burton,
and at nineteen was elected upon the foundation to New-
college in Oxford. He was first upon the list; and, in
order to wait for a vacancy in that society,^ was admitted a
commoner of Queen's college in the same university; but
no such vacancy occurring, his tutor, very sensible of his ^
desert, recommended him to the society of Magdalen ; and
this recommendation, backed by an uncommon display. of
genius and learning in the exercises performed on the oc-
casion, procured hini to be elected a demy of that college
in July 1741. During his residence in this place, which
was till he had taken a bachelor^s degree, he applied him-
self to poetry, and published an epistle to«ir Thomas Han-
nier on his edition of Shakspeare, and the ^ Persian/' or, as
they have been since entitled, ^^ Oriental Eclogues/' which,
notwithstanding their merit, were not attended with any
great success ; and it was objected to them, that though
the scenery and subjects are oriental, the style and colour-
ing are purely European. Of the force of this objection,
Mr. Collins himself became sensible in the latter part of
his life. Yet their poetical merit is very great ; and Dr.
Langhorne has not scrupled to assert, ^^ that in simplicity
of description and expression, in delicacy and softness of.
numbers, and in natural and unaffected tend^ness, they
are not to be equalled by any thing of the pastoral kind in
the English language."
About 1744 he suddenly left the university, and came
to London, a literary adventurer, with many projects ia
his head, and very little money in his pocket. He design-
' Biog, Brit— "Ward's Gresham Professors. — Martinis Bipg, Philos.-^Ath*
Ox. Toi. ir.
COLLINS. 75
ed many works, but either had not perseverance in him«
self, or the frequent calls of immediate necessity broke hit
schemes, and suffered him to pursue no settled purpose.
Among other designs he published propqials for a *^ His«
tory of the Revival of Learning ;'^ and Dr. Johnson has
heard him speak with great kindness of Leo X. and with
keen resentment of bis tasteless successor. But probably
not a page of the history was ever written. He also
planned several tragedies, but he only planned them. Yet
there were times when his poetical genius triumphed over
his indolefice ; and produced in 1746, his ^^ Odes descrip-
tive and allegorical." The success of this pi^blication was
inferior to that of the Oriental Eclogues. Mr. Millar, the
bookseller, gave the author a handsome price, as poems
were then estimated, for the copy, but the sale of them
was not sufficient to pay the expence of printing. Mr.
Collins, justly offended at the bad taste of the public, as
soon as it was in his power, returned Mr Millar the copy-
money, indemnifieid him for the loss he had 8^stained, and
consigned the unsold part of the impression to the flames.
Highly as Mr. Collinses Odes deserved a superior fate, it is
not surprising that they were not popular at their first ap-
pei^rance. Allegorical and abstracted poetry is not suited
to the bulk of readers.
About this Ume Dr. Johnson fell into his com|iany, who
tells us, that ^'the appearance of Collins was decent and
manly ; his knowledge considerable, his views extensive,
his conversation elegant, and his disposition cheerfuL By
degrees,'* adds the doctor, ^^ I gained his confidence ; and
one day was admitted to him when he was immured by a
bailiff, that was prowling in the street. On this occasion
recourse was had to the booksellers, who, on the crecjit of
a translation of < Aristotle's Poetics,' which he engaged to
write with a large commentary, advanced as much money
as enabled him to escape into the country. He shewed
me the guineas safe in his hand. Soon afterwards his'uncle,
Mr. Martin, a liaatenant-colonel, left him about 2000/. a
sum which Collins could scarcely think exhaustible, and
which he did not live to exhaust. The guineas were then
repaid ; and the translation neglected. But man is not
bprn for happiness : Collins, who, while he studied to live,
felt no evil but poverty, no sooner liv^d to study, than his
life was assailed by more dreadful calamities, disease and
iisanity."
fd COLLINS.
Dr. j6bnson^s character of hfin, while it was dbtinettjr
impreifsed upon that excellent writer^s memory, is here at
large inserted : '< Mr. Collins was a man of extensive li^
terature, and of vigorous faculties. He was acquainted,
not only with the learned tongues, but with the Italian,
French, and Spanish languages. He had employed his
^nd chiefly upon works of fiction, and subjects of fancy ;
And by indulging some peculiar habits of thought, wasi
eminently delighted with those flights of imagination whidk
]>ass the bounds of nature, and to which the mind is re«
conciled only by a passive acquiescence in popular tra*
ditxons. He loved feiries, genii, giants^ and monsters;
lie delighted to rove through the meanders of enchant-
ment, to gaze on the magnificence of golden palaces, to
repose by the water-falls of Eiysian gardens. This was,
however, the character rather of his inclination than his
genius; the grandeur of wildness, and the novelty of ex-
travagance, were always desired by him, but were not
always attained. Yet as diligence is never wholly lost ; if
his efforts sometimes caused harshness and obscurity, they
likewise produced in happier moments sublimity atid splen-
dour. This idea which he had formed of excellence, led
him to Oriental fictions and allegorical imagery; and,
perhaps, while he was intent upon description, he did not
sufficiently Cultivate sentiment. His poems are the pro-
ductions of a mind not deficient in fire, nor unfurnished
with knowledge either of books or life, but somewhat ob-
structed in its progress by deviation in quest of mistaken
beauties. His morals were pure, and his opinions pious :
in a long continuance of poverty, and long habits of dissi-
fation, it cannot be expected that any character should
e exactly uniform. There is a degree of want by which
the freedom of agency is almost destroyed ; and long as-
sociation with fortuitous companions will at last relax the
strictness of truth, and abate the fervour of sincerity. ,
That this man, wise and virtuous as he was, passed always
tinentangled through the snares of life, it would be pre-
judice and temerity to afiirm ; but it may be daid that at
least he preserved the sourde of action unpolluted, that
hi9 principles were never shaken, that his distinctions of
right and wrong were never confounded, and that his faults
had nothing of malignity or design, but proceeded from
some unexpected pressure, or casual temptation. The
latter part of his life cannot be remembered but with pity '
COLLINS. 7T
and sadness. He langaished some years under that de-
pression of mind which enchains the faculties without de*
stroying them, and leaves reason the knowledge of right
without the power of pursuing it. These clouds which
he perceived gathering on his intellects, he endeavoured
to disperse by travel, and passed into France ; but found
himself constrained to yield to his malady, and returned.
He was for some time confined in a house oC lunatics, and
afterwards retired to the care of his sister in Chichester *,
where death, in 1756, came to bis relief. After his return,
irom France, the writer of this character paid him a visit
at Islington, where he was waiting for his sister, whom
he had directed to meet him : there was then nothing of
disorder discernible in his mind by any but himself; but
he had withdrawn from study, and travelled with no otiier
book than an English Testaosent, such as children carry
to the school : when' his friend took it into his hand out
of curiority, to see what companion a man of letters bad
diosen : ' I have but one bbok,* says CoUins, ^ but that.
is the best.' Such was the fate of CoUius, with whom I
ooce delighted to converse, and whom I yet remember with
tenderness. He was visited at Chichester in his last illness
by his learned friends Dr. Warton and his brother ; to whom
he spoke with disapprobation of his ^ Oriental Eclogues,*
as not sufficiently expressive of Asiatic manners, and called
them his ^ Irish Eclogues.' He shewed them, at the
same "time, an ode inscribed to Mr. John Hume, ^ On
the Superstitions of the Highlands ;' which they thought
superior*, to his other works, but which no search has
yet found. His disorder was not alienation of mind, but
general laxity, and feebleness, a deficiency rather of his
vital than intellectual powers. What he spoke wanted nei-
ther judgment oor spirit; but 'a few minutes exhausted htm,
so that he was fdrced to restupon the couch, till a short ces*
sation restored his powers, and he was again able to talk with
his former vigour, ^fae approaches of this dreadful malady
he began to feel soon- after his uncle's death; aud with
the usual weakness of men so diseiased, eagerly snatched
that temponury relief with which the table and the bottle
flatter and seduce. But his health continually declined^
andvhe grew more and more burthensome to himself.
* Mn. DaraAird, wife of Dr. Dvnifordlr Hs ei^irei in iwr •»». This lidf
7^ COLLINS.
'* To what I have formerly said of his writings may b#
. added) that bis diction was often harsh, unskilfully laboured^
and injudiciously selected. He affected the obsolet,e wheti:
it was not worthy of revival ; and he puts bis words out of
the common order, seeming to think, with some later can-i
didates for fame, that not to write prose is certainly to
write poetry. His lines commonly are of slow motion,
clogged and impeded with clusters of consonants. As
men are often esteemed who cannot be loved, so the poe-
^ try of Collins may sometimes extort praise when it. gives
little pleasure *•'*
From this opinion of Collinses genius many critics 6ave
differed, whose more favourable sentiments appear to have*
revived his reputation of late years ; and Mrs. Barbauld^s
. prefatory Essay to an elegant edition of his works, pub-^
lisbed in 1797, has contributed not a little to the same
effect. It is necessary, however to add, tbat the Ode on
the '^ Superstitions of the .Highlands,*' mentioned in Drv
Johnson^s account as having been lost, has been recovered.^
The manuscript, in Mr. CoUins's ban d« writing, fell into
the hands of Dr. Alexander Carlyle, among the papers of
a friend of his and Mr. John Home's, who died in 1754.
Soon after Dr. Carlyle found the poem, he shewed it to.
Mr. Home, who told him that it bad been addressed to bim
by Mr. Collins, on bis leaving London in the year 1749,
and that it was hastily composed and incorrect. This i&
apparent from the ode itself. It is evidently the jin^na cura^.
of the poem, as will easily be perceived from the altera^
tions made in the manuscript, by the blotting out of many
lines and words, and the substitution of others. In parti-
cular, the greatest part of the twelfth stanza is modelled in
that manner. The poem, which is entitled ^^ An Ode on
^e Popular Superstitions of the Highlands of Scotland^
considered as the subject of Poetry," was first published in
the first volume of the ^^ Transactions of the Royal Society*
of Edinburgh," with the fifth stanza and part of the sixths
which were lost, supplied by Mr. Mackenzie. Though>
there are evident proofs that it was hastily composed, it
evinces, at the same time, the vigour of the author's ima-
gination, and the ready command be possessed of harmo-
nious numbers. The construction of the stanza i$ different.
« By two letters from Dr. JohoMhi, in WooU's Life of Warton, p. 219. SdSt
it appears tkat he had a great regard for CoUinSi and was deeply affected by his
misfortunes.
COLLINSON. 79
from what Mr. Collins has used ou any former occasion,
not perfectly pleasing, and too operose and formal. That
the poem is highly beautiful, every man of taste must
strongly feel ; l>ut still there will probably be found per-
sons who will giv^ the preference to the ^* Ode upon the '
Passions*."
In 1795 a liionument of exquisite workmanship was
erected by public subscription to the memory of Collins,
the whole executed by Fiaxman^ with an epitaph by Mr,
Hayley. *
COLLINSON (Peteb), was an ingenious botanist,
whose family is of ancient standing in the north. Peter
and James were the great grandsons of Peter CoUinson,
who lived on his paternal estate called Hugal-Hall, or
Height of Hugal, near Windermere Lake, in the parish of
Stavely, about ten miles from Kendal in Westmoreland*
Peter^ who was born Jan. 14, 1693-4, whilst a youth, dis-
covered bis attachment to natural history. He began early
to make a colleetion of dried specimens of plants ; had ac*
cess to the best gardens, at that time in the neighbourhood'
of London ; and became early acquainted with the most
eminent naturalists of his time; the doctors Derham,
Woodward, Dale, Lloyd, and Sloane, were amongst his
frieuds. Among the great variety of articles, which form
that superb collection, now (by the wise disposition of sir
Hans Sloane and the JOQunificence of parliament) the British
Museum, small was the number of those with whose history
ColUnsoa was not well acquainted, he being one of those
few whojfisijted sir Hans at all times familiarly ; their incli-
nations and pursuits in respect to natural history being the
same, a firm friendship had early been established between
them. Peter CoUinson was elected F. R. S. Dec. 12, 1728 1
and perhaps was one. of the most diligent and useful mem-
bers, 9ot only in supplying them with many curious ob-
servations, but in promoting and preserving a most exten-
sive correspondence with learned and ingenious foreigners,
in all countries, and on every useful subject Besides his
attention to natural history, he minuted every striking hint
* It may b«. accessary to guard the . the first time^althoughthe genuine Ode
Reader against a spurious edition of the had appeared in the. Transactions of
*' Ode on the Superstitions," published the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
ia London in 1788, 4to, pretendedly for
* Biog. Brit — Johnson's Lives of the Poets.— Censura Lit. vol. I. and VL-*
Seward's Anecdotes, vol. U. p. 383,— Traus. of the Royal Society of Edinburgh,
vol. L-Gent. Mag. LXV. "^
90 COLtlNSON*
that occurred either in reading or conyersiaition ; and from
this source he derived much information, as there were
▼ery few men of learning and ingenuity, who were not of
bis acquaintance at home ; and most foreigners of emi^
nence in natural history, or in arts and sciences, were re<»
commended to his notice and friendship. His diligence
and economy of time was such, that though he never ap-
peared to be in a hurry, he maintained an extensive cor*
respondence with great punctuality; acquainting the
learned and ingenious in distant parts of the globe, with
the discoveries ^nd improvements in natural history in this
country^ and receiving the like information from the most
emineht persons in almost every other. His correspond*
ence with the ingenious Cadwallader Golden, esq. of New*
Yofk, and the celebrated Dr. Franklin of Philadelphia,
furnish instances of the benefit resulting from his attention
to all improvements. The latter of these gentlemen com^
munioated his first essays on electricity to Collinson, in a
series of letters, which were then pubMshed, and have
been reprinted in a late edition of the doctor's works. Per<»
baps, at the present period, the account procured of the
management of sheep in Spain, published in the Gentle-
nan's Magazine for May and June 1764, may not be con-
fiidered among the, least of the benefits accruing from his
extensive and inquisitive correspondence. His conversa-
tion, cheerful and usefully entei*taining, rendered his ac-
quaintance much desired by • those who had a relii^ for
natural history, or were studious in cultivating rural im-
provements ; and secured him the intimate friqpdship of
some of the most eminent personages in this kingdom, as
distinguished by their taste in planting and horticulture^
as by their rank and dignky. He was the first who intro-
di2ced the great variety of trees and ^hrubs, which are now
the principal ornaments of every garden ; and it waif owing
to his indefatigable industry, that so many persons of the
first distinction are how enabled to behold groves trans-
planted from the Western continent ftourishing so luxu-
riantly in their several domains, as if they were already
become indigenous to Britain. He had some correspond-
ents in almost every nation in Europe ; some in Asia, and
even at Pekin, who all transmitted to him the most valua-
ble seeds they could collect, in return for the treasures of
America. Linnseus, during his residence in England, con-
tracted an intimate friendship with Mr. CoUiasoui which^
C O L L I N S O N. 81
f
was reciprocally increased by a multitude* of good ofSceS|
and continued to the last. Besides his attachment to na*
tural history, he was very conversant in the antiquities of
our own country, having been elected F. §; A. April 7,
1737; and he supplied the society with many curious arti-
cles of intelligence, and observations respecting both our
own and other countries. In the midst of all these engage-
ments, he was a mercer by trade, and lived at the Red
Lion, in Gracechurch-street. His person was rather short
than tall ; he had a pleasing and social aspect ; of a temper
open and communicative, capable of feeling for distress,
and ready to relieve and sympathize. Excepting some
attacks of the gout, he enjoyed, in general, perfect health
and great equality of spirits, and had arrived at bis 75th
year; when, being on a visit to lord Petre, for whom he
had a singular regard, he was seized with a total suppres-
sion of urine, which, baffling every attempt to relieve it,
proved fatal Aug. 11, 1768. Mr. CoUinson left behind him
many materials for the improvement of natural history ;
and the present refined taste of horticulture may in some
respects be attributed to his industry and abilities. He
jnarried, in 1724, Mary, the daughter of Michael JRussell,
,'*^sq. of Mill Hill, with whom he lived very happily till her
, ' death, in 175S. He left issue a son, named Michael, who
resided at Mill Hill, and died Aug. 11, 1795, whose son
is. still living; and a daughter, Mary, married to the late
John Cator, esq. of Beckenham, in Kent. Both his chil-
dren inherited much of the taste and amiable disposition of
their father.*
COLLIUS (Francis), a doctor of the Ambrosian col-
lege at Milan, and grand penitentiary of that diocese, who
died in 1640, at a very advanced age, made himself fa-
mous by a treatise " De Animabus Paganorum," published
in two Volumes 4to at Milan, in 1622 and 1623. He
here examines into the final state in the world to come of
several illustrious pagans, and hazards bold and ingenious
conjectures on matters far beyond the reach of his intel-
lect.. He saves the Egyptian midwives, the queen of
Sheba, Nebuchadnezzar, &c. and does not despair of the
salvation of the seven sages of Greece, nor of that of So-
crates ; but condemns Pythagoras, Aristotle, and several
\ From <' SMn«^ilccouiit of the late Peter CoHinsdn," by Dr. Fothergin and
Michatl Coliinson, e^, his nephew, 1770, 4to. — Biog Brit. — Nichols's Bgwyer.
-«Lett8om*t Memotn^f FotheiYiU.-~Gent. Ma^. toI. LXXXII, part 1, p. 9Q§.
Vol. X. G
\
Bi COL LIU S.
*
Others ; though he acknowledges that they knew the true
God. This work, properly speaking, seems to be nothing more
than a vehicle for the display of the author's erudition^ of
which it doubtless contains a great deal. It is now ranked
among the curious arid rare. He also wrote " Conclu-?
^k>nes theologicue," 1609, 4to, and a treatise ** De sanguine
Christi,'* full of profound disquisition and citations innu-
merable, Milan, 1617, 4to, but in less estimation than
his treatise , " de Animabus." *
COLMAN (George), an eminent dramatic author and
manager, the son of Thomas Colman, esq. British resident
at the court of the grand duke of Tuscany at Pisa, whose
Irife was a sister of the countess of Bath, was born at Flo-
rence about the year 1733, and placed at a very early age
in Westminster-school, where he soon distinguished him-
self by the rapidity of his attainments, and the dawning
splendour of his talents. He was elected to Christ Church
i!:ollege, Oxford, in 1751, and took the degree of M. A. in
1758. During his progress at Westminster, and while at
college, he formed those literary connections with whom
he remained in friendship till they severally dropped off
the stag6 of life. Lloyd, Churchill, Bonnel Thornton,
Gowper, and other celebrated wits of that period, were
among the intimate associates of Mr. Colman, and gave a
histre to his name, by noticing him in some of their com*
positions. Even so early as the publication of the " Ros-
ciad," Churchill proposed Mr. Colman as a proper judge
to decide on the pretensions of the several candidates for
the chair of Roscius ; and only complains that he may be
diought too juvenile for so important an award.
It was during his residence at Oxford that he engaged
with his friend Bonnel Thornton, in publishing the ** Con-
lioisseur," a periodical paper, which appeared once a
week, and was continued froin January 31, 1754, to Sep-
temt>er 30, 1756. When the age of the writers of this
entertaining miscellany is considered^ the wit and humour,
the spirit, the good sense, and shrewd observations on life
and manners, with which it abounds, will excite some de-
gree of wonder, but will, at the same time, evidently point
out the extraordinary talents which were afterwards to be
more fully displayed in the *' Jealous Wife" and the
5' Clandestine Marriage.-?
• I Mwwi.'^Itopin^'MaeBient, BiU. Curicuie.
C O L M A N. 83
Wfaen h^ came to London^ the jrecommetidation of his
firiendd, or bis choice, but pcobably the former, induced
bim to fix upon the law for bis profession, and he was re-
ceived with great kindness by lord Batb^ who seemed tt}
nark him for the object of his patronage : a circumstance
that gave rise to the suspicion that his lordship had a na-
taral bias in fevour of young Colman. He was entered of
the society of Lincoln's^inn^ and in due season called to
the bar. He -attended there a very short time, though^
from the frequency of his attendance on the courts, we
must conclude that it was not for want of encouragement
that he abandoned the profession. It is reasonable to sup-
pose that he felt more pleasure in attending to the muse
than to briefs and reports ; and it will therefore excite no
surprise, that he took the earliest opportunity of relin*'-
qnishing pursuits not congenial to his taste. '' Apollo and
Littleton," says Wycherley, '* seldom meet in the same
brain." At this period Lloyd addressed to him a very
pleasant poem on the importance of his proCessioDy and
the seducements to which he was liable, on acconnt of his
attachment to the sisters of Helicon. His first poetical
performahce is a copy of verses addressed to his cousin
lord Pulteney, written in the year 1747, while he was yet
at Westminster, and puUisbed in the St James's Maga-
zine, a vfork conducted by his unfortunate friend Robert
Lloyd ; in conjnnctiGin.witii whom he wrote the best paro-
dies of modem times, the '^ Odes to Oblivion and Obscu*
rity." \ In 1760, his first dramatic piece, *^ Polly Honey-
comb,'* was acted at Druty-laoe with great success ; and
next year he wis one of tlnree different candidates for pub**
he fitvour in the higher branch of the dranui ; viz. Mn
Murphy, who exbibked the ^^ Way to keep him ;'' Mr*
Macklin, the ^^ Married Libertine ;" and Mr. Colman^
*^The Jealous Wife." The former and latter of these
Wfve successful, and Colmaii in a very high degree.
About the same time the newspaper entitled *' The St
Jameses Chronicle" was established ; of which he became
a proprietor, and* exerted the full force of his prosaic
talents to promote its interest, in a series of essays and
knmourous sketches on occasional subjects. Among these
he opened a paper called *^ The Genius," which he pub«*
kshed at irregalar intervals as far as the fifteenth number*
These papers appear, npon the whole, to be superior to
the gwend oierit of tbe Connmsoers ^ they h^ rdthey
Q Z
84 C O L M A N.
r
niore sohdity, and the huttiOur is more chaste and classical.
His occasional contributions to the St. Jameses Chronicle
were very numerous^ and upon every topic of the day,
politics, manners, the drama, &c. A selection from them
appears in his prose works, published by himself in 1787.
In the establishment of the St. Jameses Chronicle, he
had likewise Mr. Thornton for a colleague, who was one
of the oijginal proprietors : and by their joint industry they
drew the productions of many of the wits of the times to
this paper, which, as a depository of literary intelligence,
literary contests and anecdotes, and articles of wit and hu*
mour, soon eclipsed ail its rivals* It appears that the prin-
cipal departments were for some time filled by the follow-
ing persons : the papers entitled *^ The Genius,'' by Mr.
Colman ; " Smith's Letters," by Peregrine Phillips, esq. ;
short essays of wit, by Bonnel Thornton, esq. ; longer essays
of wit, by — — Waller, esq. ; rebusses and letters, signed
** Nick Testy" and " Alexander Grumble," Forest;
letters signed " Oakly," Mr. Garrick.
In July 1764, lord Bath died, and left Mr. Colman a
veiy comfortable annuity, and he now found himself in
circumstances fully sufficient to enable him to follow. the
bent of his genius. The first publication which he pro-
dnced, after this ev^t, was a translation of the comedies
of Terence, in the execution of which he rescued that au-
thor from the hands of his former tasteless and ignorant
translators.
The successor of lord Bath, general Pulteney, died in
1767 ; and Mr. Colman found himself also remembered in
his will by a second annuity, which confirmed the inde-
pendency of his fortune. He seems, however, to have taken
the first opportunity to engage in active life ; as,, about
the year 1768, Mr. Beard, being incapable of bearing any
longer the fatigues of a theatrical life, and wishing to re-
tire from the management of Covent*garden theatre, dis-
posed of his property in that house to Messrs* Ccdman^
Harris, Powell, and Rutherford. . These gentlemen car-
ried on the management conjointly ; but, in a short time^
Mr. Colman appearing to aspire to a greater authority than
the tither patenteei^, excepting Mr. Powell, were disposed
to grant, Mr. Colman, after a severe literary contest,^ *
which was published, sold his share, and retired. Soon
after, Mr. Foote, then proprietor of the Haymarket theatre,
baying beeju induced to withdraw from the stage, disposed
C O L M A N. 85
of his theatre to Mr. Colman for a handsome annuity, which
he did not long enjoy. On his death, Mr. Colman ob<^
tained the license ; and, from that period, conducted the
theatre with great judgment and assiduity, occa3iQnalIy
supplying many dramas from bis own fancy, as well a^
many pleasant translations from the French.
While Mr. Colman was thus shewing his. attention to the
theatre, he did not entirely neglect bis classiqal studies.
He gave the f>ublic, in 1783, a new translation of *^ Hoi-
race's Art of Poetry," accompanied with a commentary, in
which be produced a new system to explain that very dif-
ficult poem. In opposition to Dr. Hurd, he supposes^
^^ that one of the sons of Piso, undoubtedly the elder, had
either written or meditated a poetical work, most probably
a tragedy ; and that he had, with .the knowledge of the
family, communicated his piece or intention to Horace ;
but Horace, either disapproving of the work, or doubting
of the poetical faculties of the elder Piso, or both, wished
to dissuade him from all thoughts of publication. With
this view he formed the design of writing this epistle, adr
dressing it with a courtliness and delicacy perfectly agreer
able to his acknowledged character, indifferently to. the
whole family, the father and his two sons : Epistola ad IH^
^ow« de arte poetica." This hypothesis is supported with
much learning, ingenuity, and modesty ; and the bishop
of Worcester, on its publication, said to Dr. Douglas, the
late bishop of Salisbury : " Give my compliments to Col-
man,. and thank him for the handsome manner in which he-
has treated me, and tell him, that / think he is rights'' It
may be added, that the late Dr. Warton and Dr. Beattie
were of the same opinion.
Some time about the year 1 790 Mr. Colman had a stroke
of the palsy, which nearly deprived him of the use of one
side of his body ; and in a short time afterwards he gave
evident signs of mental derangement ; in consequence of
which, he was placed under proper, management ^t Padr
dington, and the. conduct of the theatre was vested in
his son. He died the 14th of August 1794. Mr. Colman^
as a scholar, holds a very respe<!!tabie rank, as may be seen
by his translations of Hojrace's Art of Poetry, and of the
comedies of Terence ; and his manners were as pleasing a^
his talents were respectable. His various dramatic piece?
have been published in 4 vols. 8vo.
U G O L M A N.
*
Hie year after bis death appeared a pamphlet, entitled
^' Some Particulars of the Life of the late George Coiman^
esq. written by himself, and delivered by Bim to Richard
Jackson, esq. one of his executors, for publication after
bis decease.'* The object of this pamphlet was to contra-
dict two reports which had long been current The one,
that by his Uterary pursuits and dramatic compositions, he
lost the favour and affection of the earl of Bath ; the other,
that by his purchase of a fourth of the patent of Covent-
garden theatre, he knowingly and voluntarily forfeited the
intended bequest of a certain estate under the will of ge-
neral'Pnlteney* In opposition to these reports, he proves
veiy clearly that he did not lose the favour of the earl of
Bath, and that general Pulteney, while he did not openly
resist his becoming a manager of the theatre, but rather
consented to it, changed his intentions towards him, and
left him, in lieu of the estate, an annuity of four hundred
pounds. The general appears, however, to have con<*
sidered the family as disgraced by Mr. Colman's becoming
9 manager, for the latter is obliged to remind him of gen^
fkmen who had been managers, of sir William Davenant^
isir Richard Steele, sir John Vanburgb, and Mr. Con^*
greve. *
COLOCCI (Amqelo), in Latin AnoelIjs Colotius, an
elegant Italian scholar, descended of an ancient and noble
family, was born at Jesi, in 1467. He obtained in his
youth the honour of knighthood, which was conferred upon
him by the hands of Andreas Palssologus Despota, when,
then a refugee at Rome, he was recognized as the legiti-
mate heir to the imperial diadem of Constantinople. Co«»
locci was a disciple of Georgius Vaiia, under whom he
made great progress in philosophy, but particularly in po-
lite literature. For political reasons, which are detailed
by Ubaldinus, in his life of this illustrious scholar, the
family of Colocci were obliged, in the pontificate of Inno-f
centYIII. to abandon the city of Rome where they had
taken up their residence. Angelo, in consequence, re-
paired to Naples, where he became a member of the Pon-
tana academy, under the assumed name of Augelus Colo-
tius Bassus, and acquired an intimacy with the most emi-
nent poets and wits of his time. Six years afterwards,^
having been permitted to return to his country, he divided
) ^io^' Dram.— British SssaytiU, tqI. f}^ pre&ce tQ tli^ Co4nQis9CHr,
C O L O O C I. W
•
fa]» time betwixt bis literary fmcsuits and ibe oflkid: duties
eotriist^dtto hkm ky hi» couatryme», who jeiu bim aa ant-
Ussador to Alexander YI. in 1,49ft* He then took up fati
wsidenpe at Rc^ne^ wbere bis bouse became an .elegant
and liberal resort for men of learning and genius^ and
wbece. tbe academy of Rome, wbicb after the deatb of
Pompooius Lstus bad fallep into decay^ was ag^in rerired
under bis care* Here also bis extensive gardens, which,
io addition 4io tbe most captivating scenery resnlting from
a happy, combination of nature and art, were adorned with
a profusion, of statues, inscriptions, and other elegant re-
mains of classic antiquity, revived tbe magnificence and
amenity of tbe celebrated gardens of Sallust, of which they
were supposed to occupy the actual site. On such objects,
and on the patronage of learning and learned men, he
employed his riehes. Tbe senate of Rome, . struck with
bis liberality, bestowed on bim the title of patrician, whick
extended to his family; and he was held in the highest
estimation by the popes LeoX. Clement VII. and Paul III.
Leo, independently of 4000 crowns with which he re-
warded him for some verses in his praise, made bim bis
secretary, and gave him the reversion of the bishopric of
Nocera in 1521, Colocci having at that time survived two
wives. This gift was afterwards confirmed to him by Cle-
ment VII. who also appointed bim governor of Ascoli.
•These favours, however, were insufficient to secure bin
when Rome was sacked in 1527. On that occasion, bis
bouse was burnt, his gardens pillaged, and he was obliged
to pay a large sum for his life ^nd liberty. He then went
for. some time to hb country, and on coming back to Rome,
bis first care was to invite together tbe members of the
academy who had been dispersed. In 1537 be took pos-
session of the. bishopric of Nocera, and died at Rome in
1549. His Latin and Italian poems were published in
.1772, but our authority does not mention where or in
what shape. Most of them had, however, previously ap-
,peared in his life by Ubaldinus, Rome, 1673, Svo. '
COLOMBIERE (Ci.aud£ be la), a famous Jesuit, born
at St Sympborien, two leagues from Lyons, in 1641, ac-
quired great reputation among his order by his extraor-
,diaary talents in the pulpit. He was preacher fov two
years at the court of James 11. of England, who listened to
1 ^regfwelPs Memoirs of Politian.— More ri.— Diet, HisU
88 C O L O M B I E R E.
his sermons with great pleasure, aud, as it is saiil by the ^
Romanists, with edification ; but, falling under the suspi-*
cion, though not convicted, of being concerned in a con-
spiracy, he was banished England, and betook hiniselt to
Parai, in the Charofois, where he died, t'eb. 15, 1682. In
conjunction with Marie Alacoque, he recommended the
celebration of the solemnity of the heart of Jesus, and
composed an office for the occasion. The first inventor of
this rite, however, was Thomas Goodwin, president of
Magdalefk college, Oxford, an Arminian, who excited great
notice in England, in the middle of the seventeenth century,
by his ascetical and theological writings. His book entitled
** Cor Christi in coelis erga peccatores in terris," printed
in 1649, comprises the^wbole system of this devotion ; and
was intended to promote the spread of it in England. La
Colombiere, who was sent to London as confessor and
preacher to the duchess of York, afterwards queen, found
there a numerous sect, who, after Goodwin's example,
paid adoration to the fieshly heart of Jesus, as the symbo-
lical image 'of divine love. He was astonished at the no-
velty of so ravishinig a devotion, which had so long escaped
the fertile invention of his fraternity ; and carried it in
triumph back; with him to France, where, under the in-
fluence of heavenly visions and miracles, it struck deep
root, and was extensively propagated. Among other agents
a nun of the name of Marie Alacoque, who, in her hea-
venly visions, pretended to have conversed familiarly with
Christ, was employed by the Jesuits to aid the deception,
and in one of her visions, asserted that she had received
orders from heaven to acquaint father la Colombiere, that
he should institute a yearly festival to the heart of Jesus,
propagate this devotion with all his might, and announce
to such as should dedicate themselves to it, the assurance
of their predestination to ieternal life. The Jesuits imme-
diately and zealously complied with the celestial mandate.
There appeared at once in all quarters of the world, and in
all languages, an innumerable swarm of publications,
manuals, coppei>- plates, and medals, with hearts decorated
with crowns of thorns, with lambent flames, transpiercir^g^
swords, or other symbolical impresses. < They distributed
scapularies to be worn day and night upon the breast,
and tickiets to be swallowed for driving out fevers. I^i
all Spain there was not a nun who had not a present
frem the Jesuits of a heart cut out of red cloth, to be
C O L O M B -J E R E. 89
worn next the skin. In every cathoMc city and town, in
all parts of the world, fraternities ^ere erected, passion->'
masses and nine-day devotions were instituted, to the
honoar of the heart of Jesus ; and panegyrical sermons de-
livered, exhorting the faithful to augment their zeal. The
proselytes must vow, before the holy sacrament of the
altar, an ieternal fidelity to the heart of Jesus ; and every
soul was made responsible for the increase and growth of •
this new devotion ; nay, the display of a burning zeal for
making proselytes was regarded as the peculiar charac-
teristic of the true worshipper of the heart. This devotion
was represented in their sermons and writings, as a neces-
sary means to the enjoyment of a blissful hereafter : it was
no wonder, then, that the partisans of this devotion were
in a short time as numerous in all catholic Christendom as
the sands of the sea. The bishops approved and confirmed
the brotherhoods, and consecrated chutches, altars, and.
chapels, erected to the promotion of this enthusiasm.
Kings and queens preferred petitions to the papal throne,^
that a proper office might be appointed in the breviary and
choir, and a peculiar mass for the solemnization of the an-
niversary ; and even at Rome fraternities arose and fl6u<*
rished that devoted themselves to the worship of the heart
of Jesus. In recommendation of it the Jesuits were not
wanting either in prophecies or miracles ; among the fore-
most of whom was la Colombiere, who had an excellent
taste in his compositions, and a noble delivery in the pul-
pit. His masterly eloquence displays itself amidst the
extreme simplicity of his style, as we are told by the abb£
Trubiet, speaking of his. sermons, published at Lyons 1757,
in 6 volumes 12mo. He had an impetuous and lively ima-
gination, and the warmth of his heart appears through all
nis discourses : it is the unction of pere Ch^minais, only
more ardent and glowing. All his sermons breathe the
most gentle, and at the same time the most fervent piety :
he has been equalled by few in the art of affecting his
hearers, and no enthusiast ever fell less into the familiar.
The celebrated Patru, his friend, .speaks of him as the best
skilled of his time in the refinements and niceties of the
French language. There are likewise by him, ^^ Moral
Reflections,'^ and " Spiritual Letters." [
1 Moreri.-*Dict. Hiit^Varieties of Literature, 1795. 2 Tol. Svo.
to COLOMIE&
COLOMIES (Paul), or Colomesius, a learned Freocfa
pcotestant, was born at Rocbelle in 1639, where his father
was a physician, and where he was probably educated.
His application to various reading must evidently have
been very extensive, and although he haa no decided
claims to originality, his works ranked in his^ ofwnday, and
sojQse of them may still, as ably illustrating the history of
learning and learned men. He faithfully treasured what
be found in eld, scarce, and almost unknown aothors, and
knew bow to render the reproducti(M> of learned curiosities
both agreeable and useful. His great intimacy and high
regard £Dr Vossius, induced him to visit England, where
Vossius was then canon of Windsor, and by his interest or
recommendation he was appointed librarian at Lambeth,
with a competent salary. This, however, he tost at the
revolution, when his patron, archbishop Sancroft, was de«
{irived for not taking the oaths to the new government.
After this it is said that he fell into poverty, and died in *
Jan. 1692; and was buried in St Martin's church -yard*
His principal works are, 1. ^^ Gallia Orientatis," repriuted
at Hamburgh, 1709, in 4to, under the care of the learned
Fabricins; and containing an account of such French aa
were learned in the Oriental languages. 2. '^ Hispania &
Italia Orientalis," giving an account of the Spanbh and
Italian Oriental scholars. 3. <^ Bibliotbeque Choiste ;^'
reprinted at Paris, 173], with notes of M. de ia Monnoye,
]2mo. This was published at Hamburgh, 4to, -^by Christ.
Wolf, an useful work, and of great erudition. 4, " Theo-
logorum Presbyterianorum Icon," in which he shews his
attachment to. episcopacy ; and for which be was attacked
by Jurieu (who had not hadf his candour and impartiality) .
in a book entitled " De I'esprit d*Arnauld;" 5. ^* De&
opuscules critiques & historiques," collected and published
|n 1709, by Fabricius. 6. <' Melanges Hirtoriques," &c.
7. " La vie du pere Sirmorid," &c. His " Colomcsiana,'*
inake a volume of the collection of Anas. *
COLOMNA, or COLONNA (FAaio), an emihent bo-
tanist, was born at Naples in 1 567, the son of Jerome, who
was the natural son of the cardinal Pompeio Colonna. He
devoted himself from his youth to the pursuit of natural
history, and particularly to that of plants, which he studied
in the writings of the ancients; and, by indefatigable ap-
plication, was enabled to correct the errata with which the
1 Gen. J>ict.-**Moreri,-^Dict. Hi8t«---Morhoff Poly hist,— Saxii Ooomast.
C O L O M N A. 91
manuscripts of those authors abounded. Tbe languages^
arasic, matbematics, drawing, paiqting, optics, the civil
and canon law, filled up tbe moments which be did not
bestow on botany, and the works be published in this last
science were considered as master- pieces previous to the
appearance of the labours of tbe latter botanists. He wrote^
1. ^^Plantarum aliquot ac piscium bistoria,'* 15912, 4to,
with plates, as some say, by the author himself, executed
with much exactness. The edition of Milan, 1744, 4to, is
not so valuable as the former. 2. '^ Mini!l9 cognitarum ra«
norumqne stirpium descriptio; itemque de aquatilibus^
aliisque nonuuUis animalibus libellus," Rome, 1616, two
parts in 4to. This work, which may be considered as a
sequel to the foregoing, was received with equal approba*
tion. The author, in describing several singular plants^
compares them with tbe descriptions of them both by the
ancients and moderns, which affords him frequently an op«
port unity of* opposing tbe opinions of Mattiiiolo, Diosco-
rides, Theopbras);us, Pliny, &c. He published a second
part, at the solicitation of the duke of Aqua-Sparta, who
had been much pleased with the former. The impression
was entrusted to the printer of the academy of the Lyncsei,
a society of literati, formed by that duke, and principally
employed in the study of natural history. This society^
which subsisted only till 1630, that is« till the death of its
illustrious patron, was the model on which all th^ others in
Europe were formed. Galileo, Porta, Aqhillini, and Co*
lonna, were some of its ornaments. 3. *^ A Dissertation
on the Glossopetrse," in Latin, to be found with a work of
Augustine Scilla, on marine substances, Rome, 1^47, 4to«
4, He was concerned in the American plants of Hernan^*
dez, Rome, 1651, fol. fig. f, A Dissertation on the Por-
pura, in Latin ; a piece much esteemed, but become
scarce, was reprinted at Kiel, 1675, 4to, with notes by
Daniel Major, a German physician. The Brst edition is of
1616, 4tQ.*
COLONNA (Fi^NCis), a Venetian dominican, who
died May 17, 1520, in his eightieth year, is chiefly
known by a scarce book, entitled ** Poliphili Hypneroto^
machia,*' Venice, 1499, fol. There is an edition of 1545,
but none of 1467 ; the copies which pass for that editioO|
ftre of one or the other above mentioned editions ; and tbe
^ Pict Hif t,^W9ren,-«»Ha}ler BibU i9tao.«-<:kii)eiit BibU Curieiise.
02
C O L O N N A.
mistake has arisen. from the last leaf, which contained the
date of the impressions, b^ipg taken out, and the i^t.but
one left ; on whicli is the date of the time when the work
was written. It is a romance filled. vyith mythological
learning, of very little value but for its scarcity and whim-
sical, composition^ and has been translated into French by
John Martin, Paris, 1561, fol.^
COLOTIUS. See COLOCCL
COLRANE. See HARE.
COLSTON (Edward)^ a person ever memorable for
his benefactions and charities, was the eldest son of. Wil-
liam Colston, esq. an eminent Spanish merchant in Bristol^
and born in that city Nov. 2, 1636. He was brought up
to trade, and resided sonae time in Spain with his brothers,
two of whom were inhumanly murdered there by assassins*.
He inherited a handsome fortune from his .parents, which,
received continual additions from the fortunes of his bre-^
thren ; all of whom, though numerous, hesuri^ived. This
family substance he increased immensely by trade ; and
having no near relations, he disposed of a great part of it
in acts of charity and beneficence. In 1691 he built upon
bisQwn ground, at the charge of about 2500/. St. Michael's^
hill alms-houses in Bristol ; and endo^yed them with lands,
of the yearly rejit of 282/. 3^. 4^. The.same year he gave
bouses and lands,* without Temple-gate in that city, to ,
the society of merchants for ever, towards the maintenance
of six poor old decayed sailors, to the yearly value of 24/.
In 1696 he purchased a piece of ground in Temple-street
in the same city, and built at his. own charge a school and
dwelling-house for a master, to instruct, forty boys, who
are also to be clothed, instructed in writing, arithmetic,
a,nd. the. church-catechism. . The estate given for this cha-
rity amounted to 80/. yearly, clear of all charges. In
1702 he gave 500/. towards rebuilding queen, Elizabeth^s
hospital on the College- green in Bristol;, and. for the
clothing and educating of six boys there, appropriated an
* There is a tradition, that when Mr.
Colston and bis two brothers were in
Spaipt in their disputes with the Papists
it was often objected* to them, ** That
the reformed religion produced no ex-
amples of great and charitable bene-
factions »'' to which they were wont to
reply, that if it pleased God to bring
them safe home, they would wipe oflf
that aspersion: Upon which, two of
them were poiioned, to prevent .their
return; but their elder brother, Mr.
Edward Colston, escaped. Such is the
tradition : but it is mor€ certain, that,
one or both of them, were aasassinat^d
by Landiltis or bravoes.
1 Diet Hist.^Tiraboscbi,
COLSTON. 93
estate of 60/. a year, clear of charges, besides 10/. for
placing oat the boys apprentices. In 1708 he settled his
great benefaction of the hospital of St. Augustine in Bristol,
consisting of a master, two ushers, and one hundred boys;
for the maintenance of which boys, he gave an estate of
138/. 155. 6|d a year. The charge of first setting up this
hospital, and making it convenient for the purpose,
amounted, it is said, to about 11,000/. He gave also 6/.
yearly to the minister of All-Saints in Bristol, for reading
prayers every Monday and Tuesday morning throughout
the year, and 1/. a year to the clerk and sexton : also €L
a year for ever, for a monthly sermon and prayers to the
prisoners in Newgate there ; and 20/. yearly for ever to the
clergy beneficed in that city, for preaching fourteen ser-
mons in the time of Lent, on subjects appointed by him«
self. The subjects are these: the Lent fast; against
atheism and infidelity ; the catholic church ; the excei-
lence of the church of £ngland ; the powers of the church ;
baptism ; confirmation ; confession and absolution ; the
errors of the church of Rome ; enthusiasm and superstition ;
restitution ; frequenting the divine service ; frequent com-
munion ; the passion of our blessed Saviour. He bestowed,
lastly, upwards of 2000/. in occasional charities and bene-
factions to churches and charity-schools, all within the
city of Bristol. Beyond that city* his benefactions were
equally liberal. He gave 6000/. for the augmentation of
sixty small livings, on the following terms : Any living
that .was entitled to queen Anne^s bounty might have this
too, on condition that every parish, which did receive this,
should be obliged to raise 100/. to be added to the lOOL
raised by Colston : and many livings have had the grant of
this bounty. He gave to St. Barthofomew^s hospital in
London 2000/. with which was purchased an estate of 100/.
a year, which is settled on that hospital ; and he left to
the same, by will, 500/. To Christ's hospital, at several
times, 1000/. and 1000/, more by will. To the hospitals of
St. Thonoas and Bethlehem. 500/. each. To the workhouse
without Bishopsgate, 200/. To the society for propagate
ing the gospel in foreign parts, 300/. He built an alms^i
house for six poor people at Shene in Surry, and left very
faandsomeilegacies to Mortlake in thesame county, where
be died : viz. 45/. yearly, to be continued for twelve years
after his death, for clothing and educating twelve boys and
twelve girls in that place; and also 85/.* be being so many
^4 COLSTON,
years old, to eigbty«fiTe poor men and i^omen thef^^ to
each iL to be distributed at the time of his decease. H^
gave 100/. per annum, to be contiaaed for twelve year»
after his death, and to be distribtited by the direction of
bis executors : either to place out every, year ten boys ap«
prentices, or to be given towards the setting up ten young
tradesmen, to. each 10/. He gave likewise to eighteen
charity-schools in several parts of England, and to be con-
tinued to them for twelve years after his death, to eacfai
school yearly 5L . Finally, he gave towards building a^
chorch at Manchester in Lanca^re 20L and towards the
building of a church at Tiverton in Devonshire 50/.
Besides these known and public benefactions, he gart
away eviery year large sums in. private charities, for many-
years together ; and the preacher of bis funeral sermon
informs us, that these did not fall much short of his public*
In all his charities, Colston seems to have possessed no
small share of judgment ; for, among other instances of it^
be never gave any thing to common beggars, but he aU
ways ordered, that poor house-keepers, sick and decayed
persons, should be sought out as the fittest objects of his
charity. We must not forget to observe, that tiu>ugh cha-^
rity was this gentLeman's shining virtue, yet be possessed
other virtues in an eminent degree. He was a person of
great temperance, meekness, evenness of temper, patience,
and niortification. He always looked cheerful and pkia-'
sant, was of a peaceable and quiet disposition, and re*"
mai^ably circumspect in all his actions. Some yeanibe<*
fore his decease, he retired from business, and came and
lived at London, and at Mortlake in Surry, where he had
a country seat Here lie died Oct. 11, 1721, almost 85 $
and was buried in the church of All-saints, Bristol, where
a monument is erected to his memory, on which are enti«
merated his public charities, mentioned in this article. Hia
ftiueral sermon was preached by Dr. Harcourt, and printed
at London the same year. ^
COLUCCIO (Salutato), an ancient Italian poet and
philosopher, was born at Stignano in Pescia, in 1330.
His father, who was in the army, being involved in the
troubles of his country, was obliged to retire to Bologna,
where Coluccio was educated, or rather where he taught
himself for some time without a master. It appears indeed
\ Bios, Bnt-^Fttneral^fnaoo, 1721« 4ft9.
COLUCCIO. 9S
itom » letter which he wrote to Bernardo di IVIoglo, that
lie did MX tipply himself to the cultivation of polite litera-
ture tUI he was arrived at maii^B estate, and that it niras
then he went to Bologna, and attended the pubKc lectures
of the father of the above Bernardo. By his o^vn falher^s
request^ he afterwards studied law, but on his death quitted
that profession for eloquence and poetry. It is not stated
when lie left Bologiia, nor when be was permitted to re-
tani to Floreuce ; but in 1363, in bis thirty-eighth year,
wefiad him the colleague of Francis Bruin, as apostolical
secretary to pope Urban V, and it is probable that he
quitted this employl&ent when Urban went to France. He
i]aitted at the same time the ecclesiastical habit, and anar-
ried a lady by whom he had ten children. Hk repiitattoii
for knowledge and eloquence procured him the greatest
eSen from popes, empevors, and kings ; but his lore for
his native country made him prefer, to the tnost brilliant
prospects, akt oftee of chancellor of the republic of Flo*
rence, which wasoonforred on him in 1S75, and which he
fflkd very faonourabiy for thirty years. The letters he
mrote apf>eared so strikiog to John Galeas Visconti, then
at war With the republic, that he declared one letter of
Coluccio^s'to be more mischievous to his cause than the ef-
forts of a thousand Florentine kni^ts.
in the midst of his more senous functions, he fouucl
leisure to cultivate poetry, and particularly to make a col-
lection of ancient manuscripts, in which he was so success-
ful, that at his^ death his li^ary consisted of ei^ht hundred
volumes, a princely collection before the invention of
printing. His contemporaries speak of him in terms of
the highest admiration, as a second Cicero and Virgil ; but
aldiougfa modem critios cannot acquiesce in this character,
his Letters, the only part of his works which are printed,
evidoitly ptove him a man of learning and research, and
no inconsiderable contributor to the revival of letters. He
died May 4, 1406 ^ and his remains, after being decorated
with a crown of iaurel, were interred with extraordinary
pomp in the church of St. Maria de Fiore.
Goluccio was the author of the following works, MS co-
pies of most of which are preserved in the Lauren tian li-
brary : I . " De !Fato et Fortuna." 2. « De saeculo et
religione." 3. ** De nobilitate legum et medicinae.'* 4.
** Tractatus de Tyraono." 5.. " Tractatus quod medici
eloquentisB studeant, et de verecundia an sit virtus aut
96 C O L U C.C I O.
vitium/' 6. De laboribus Herculis." 7. " Hisioria de
casu hominis/' 8. " De arte dictandi." 9. " Certamen
Fortunae.'* 10. " Declamationes:" 11. " Invectiva iiiv^
Antonium Luscum.'* 12. *' Phyllidis querimOniae." 13.
<* Eclogae octo." 14. "Carmina ad Jacobum Allegrettum.'*
14. " Sonetti.'* And, lastly, various " Epistles." Of these,
except the Epistles, the ouly article published is his trea-
tise *^ De nobilitate legum," &c. Venice, 1542. His
" Epistles" have appeared in two editions, the one by
Mehus, Florence, 1741, with a learned preface and notes;
the other by Lami, in the same year: but Mazzuchelli
remarks, that it is necessary to have both collections, as
they do not contain the same epistles. Some of Coluccio'^
poems have appeared in various collections of Italian poe-
try.*
COLUMBA (St.), renowned in Scotch history as the
founder of a monastery at Icolmkill, and the chief agent
in converting the northern Picts, was a native of Ireland,
where he was a priest and abbot, and is supposed to have
b#*en born at Gartan, in the county of Tyrcounel, in 521.
From thence, about the year 565, he arrived in Scotland,
and received from Bridius, the son of Meilochon, the then
reigning king of the Picts, and his people, tlie island of
Hij, or Hy, one of the Western Isles, whicK was after-
wards called from him Icolmkill, and became the famous
burial-place of the kings of Scotland. There he built a
monastery, of which he was the abbot, and which for se-
veral ages continued to be the chief seminary of North
Britain. Columba acquired here such influence, that nei-
ther king or people did any thing without his consent. Here
he died June 9, 597, and bis body was buried on the
island; but, according to some Irish writers, was after-
wards removed to Down in Ulster, and laid in the same
vault with the remains of St. Patridc and St. Bridgit. From
this moniastery at«Iona, of which some remains may yet be
traced, and another^ which he had befcH'e founded in Ire-
land, sprang many other monasteries, and a great many^
eminent men ; but such are the ravages of time and the
revolutions of society, that this island, which was once
*^ the luminary of the Caledonian regions^ whence savage
clans and roving barbarians derived the benefits of know*
ledge, and the blessings of religion,^' had, when Dr.
I 'Gingtten4 Hist. Litt d'Haiie, toL III. ch. 17.— Shepherd's Lifb of Pos(io.—
B'ibU G^rmaDiquey toI. I.
COLUMBA. «
Jfobnson Tiftited it in 1771, *' no sckool for edocaiiOfi,^ Mt
temfrie fer worship, only two inbabitants that could spe^k
Eiigitsh, and not one tbat could write or read/' *
COLUMBANUS <St.), another eminent mi&sionairy for
the propagation Of the Christian religion in the sixth can*
tury, was a native of Ireland according to Jonas> who wroie
bis life, sir James Ware, atid others ; but Mackenzie main-
tains €bat he was a North Briton. From either Scotland or
Ireland, however, he went into England, where he conti-
nued some time, and in BB9 proOeeded to France, atid
founded the monastery of LuiEevil, near Besan^dri, which
he governed during twenty years. In 598 we find bitxi
engt^ed in a controversy with pope Gregory concerning
the proper time of keeping Easter, which was then a fre-
quent object of dispute; but Oolumbanus at last siib"*
mitted to tfie coilrt of Rome. After so long residence in
Prance, be was banished for censuring the immoralities of
Theodoric and bis queen. He then went to Switzerland,
where he was kindly rece^d by Tbeodfbert, king of that
country, and was sgccessful in converting the pagans; but
the Swiss artny being defeated by the French, he was
obliged to remore to Italy, where, under the protection of
the king of the Lombards, he founded, in 613, the abbey
of Bobio, near Naples. Over this monastery he presided
but a short time, dying Nov. 21, 615. Authors are not
agreed as to the order of monks to which Columbanus be-
loTif ed, but it is certain tbat bisf disciple^ conformed to the
riJles of liie Benedictines. His works are printed in the
Bibl. Patrum, and consist of monastic rales, sermons, po«
ems, letters, &c. ^
COLUMBUS' (CHRisTO!ta£R), a Genoese, and fre-
quently mentioned in history as the discoverer of America,
Was bom in 1442. Ferdinand his son, who wrote his life,
wotdd suggest to us. tbat he was descended from an an-
eient and considerable family ; but it is generally believed
ftat his fittber was a woolcomber, and that he himself was
of the same trade, till, by baring been* at sea, he had ac-
Jcrh^ed a taste fbr nayigation. In his early years he applied
tokself much to the study of geometry and astronomy at
Paris, in order to understand cosmography : and learnt to
draw, in order to describe lands, and set down cosmogras
. ^ IfsdMnaie'if Sootch wrkcra.— CftTe» toI. I.r-Batl«r't Ltv«8 of Um Sfiolt,-^
Britiwua SboeU.^ — ^Tanner.— Johnson's Joorney to Uie W«»tcpi,l|||is,
* lfackeaEie«*»Ca!re, vol. I.*— Dupin.— fanner. -< >
VouX. H
-98 COLUMBUS.
pbical bodies, plains, or rounds. He went to sea at tl^e
age of fourteen : his first voyages were to those ports ^i
the Mediterranean frequenteid by th^e Genoese ; after which,
he took a voyage to Iceland ; ai>d proceeding still further
uorthj advanced several degrees within the polar circle.
After dus, Columbus entered into the service of a famoi^s
sea-capt|Mn of his own name &nd family, who commanded
a small squadron fitted out at bis own expence ; and by
cruising against the Mahometans and Venetians, the rivals
of his country in trade, had acquired both wealth and re-
putation. With him Columbus continued for several years,
no less distingui^ed for his courage than his experience
as a sailor. At length, in an obstinate engagement, off the
coast of Portugal, with some Venetian caravals returning
richly laden from the Low Countries, his ship took fire, to-
gether with one of the enemy's ships to which it was first
grappled. Columbus threw himself into the sea, laid hold
of a floating, oar, and by the support of it, and his dexte-
rity in swimming, reached the shore, though above two
leagues distant. .
After this disaster he went to Lisbon, where he married
a daughter of Bartholomew Perestrello, one of the captains
employed by Prince Henry in his early navigations, and
who had discovered and planted tbe islands of Porto Santo
and Madeira, and by getting possession of his journals and
charts, Columbus was seized with an irresistible desire of
visiting unknown countries. He first made a voyage to
Madeira ; and continued during jteveral years to trade with
that island, the Canaries, Azores, the settlements in Gui-
nea, and all the other places which tbe Portuguese h%cl
discovered on the pontinent of Africa. By these means he
soon became one of xhe most skilful navigators in Europe*
At this time the great object of discovery was a passage by
seajbo the Eastdndie^s^ which was at last accomplished by
the Portuguese, by doubling the Cape of Good Hope. Tl^e
danger. and tediousnpss of the passage, however, induced
Co]^.iubu3 to consider whetlier a shorter and more direct
passage to the^e regions might not be found out ; and at
length he. became convinced that, by sailing across the
Atlantic Ocean, directly towards the West, new countries,
which probably formed a part of the vast continent of In-
dia;'must infallibly be discovered. In 1474, he comniu^
iiicated his ideas on ^thi$ subject ra ime Pa'dl^ a pbyldcfian
ia Florence, a man eminent for his knowledge in cosnao-
COLUMBUS. .99
graphy, who suggested several facts in confirmation of the
plan, and warn^ly encouraged Columbus to persevere in an
UDdertaking so laudable, and which must redound so much
to the honour, of his country and the benefit of Europd.
Columbus,, fully satisfied of the truth of his system, was
impatient tO' set out on a voyage of discovery, and to se^
cure the patronage of some of the considerable powers of
Europe, capable of undertaking such an enterprize. He
applied first to the republic of Genoa; afterwards to the
courts of Portugal, Spain, and England, successively, but
met with a variety of mortifying interruptions. At last bis
project was so far countenanced by Ferdinand of Spain and
queen Isabella, that our adventurer set sail with three small
ships, the whole expence of which did not exceed 4000/.
During ^his voyage he met with many difficulties from the
mutinous and timid disposition of. his men. He was the
first who observed the variation of the compass, which threw
the sailors into the utmost terror. For this phenomenon
Columbus was obliged to invent a reason, which, though it
did not satisfy himself, yet served to dispel their fears, or.
silence tl\eir mnrmurs. At last, however, the sailors lost
all patience ; and the admiral was obliged to promise so-*
lemnly, that in case land was not discovered in three, days,
he should return to Europe. That very night, however,
the island of San Salvador was discovered, and the sailors
were then as extravagant in the praise of Columbus as they
had before been insolent in reviling and threatening him.
They threw themselves at, his feet, implored his pardon,
and pronouDced him to be a persojA inspired by heaven,
with more than human sagacity and fortitude, in order to
accomplish a design so far beyond the ideas and concept
tion of all former ages. Having visited several of the
West India islsmds, and settled a cplony in Hispaniola, he.
again set sail for Spain ; and after escaping great dangers
from violent tempests, arrived at the port of Palos on the
15th of March UW.
As soon as Columbus's ship was discovered approacbiiig,
all the inhabitants of Palos rao eagerly to the shore, where
they received the admiral with royal honours. The court
was then at Barcelona, and. Columbus took care immediately >
to announce his arrival fto thel^ing and qneeu, who were
BO less delighted than astonished with this unexpected
event,. and gave orders for conducting him into the city
with all imaginable pomp ; receiyioH him clad in theiV
u 2 . •
1X)0 o a L U M B U §•
rofdini^ -and soa4)€d on a throne vmier ^ faazgoiAcev^
canopy. I^witbstaadiDg all this respect, howeTery Cckt
lumbus wail no longer regarded than he was socceasfuU
The coioQists he afterwaitds carried over were to the last
degree unreasonable and unmanageable ; so that he was
obliged to use some severities with then ; aiid complatfite
wer^ made to die court of Spain agakist him fof csaetty.
Ckitbis, Francis da Bovadiila, a knight of G^atiaxa, waa
appointed to inquire into the conduct of Columbus; wtt^
ordeK$, in case he found the oh^rge of oMdradininistnctioii
proved, to supersede him, an^ assume the a£ce of gevMi
nor of Hispaniola. The consequence of tht& was, that Con
kimbus was sent to Spain in chains^ From these, howe^sei^-
he was freed immediately ixa his avcifal, and had an oppof'-
tunity granted him of vindicating his innctcence. He was^
however, deprived of all power ; and notwithstanding his
great services, and the solemnity of the agreement between
him and Ferdinand, Columbus never could obtain thiafiil-!'
filn>ent of any part of that treaty. At last, disgui^ted with
the ingratitude of a monarch H<hom h^ had serv^ udth sucfa
fidelity and success, and esi^hausted with fatigues, he died
May 2»th, 1506.
• Ferdinmd, who had slighted bis well-founded claima
when living, bestowed upon him fiineral hononrS) and oon«-
firmed to bis children tfaeiv hereditary rights. Columbua
niras buried in the cathedral at SeviUe, and on his tomb waa
engraven an epitaph, in memory of his renowned aistions
and discovery of a New World, which, in justice, ought
to have been denominated Columbia, in onier that. the
name might for ever excite the remembrance of the here
who, in spite of every obstacle, succeeded in realiaiag a
project, esteemed by his contemporaries as the dumera c^
a disturbed imagination.
Justinianus, in his curious edition of the Pofyglot Psal«
ter^ 1516, of which a beautiful copy is preserved in ' the
Cracherode, collection in the British Museum, has intso-*
duced^ by way of commentary on Ps. xix. 4, ^' their words
are gone forth to the ends oi the earth,^' a very cuaioua*
sketch of the life of Columbus, an account of his di^covery^
of America, and also a description of the inhabitam% par-*
ticularly of the female native Americans. But before the
Reader can completely allow the praise of original disco^.
very to Columbus, jit will be necessary to peruse with at-
tention oiir article of Martin Be^bm^ where )m claims aiie
COLUMBUS; 101
4
powerfully controverted. Don Ferdinand Columbus, the
son of Christopher, »nd writer of his life, entered into the
^clesiastical state ; and fouod'ed a library, which he be-
queathed to the church of Seville, to this day called the
Coiumbine Library. He died in 1560. *
COLUMBUS (Don Bartholomew), brother of Chris-
topher, acquired a reputation by the sea-charts and the
spheres, which he made in a superior manner, considering
the time in which he lived. He had passed from Italy to
Portugal before his brother, whose tutor he had been in
cosmography. Don Ferdinand Columbus, his nephew,,
says, that his uncle having embarked for London, was
taken by a corsair, .who carried him into an unknown coun-
try, where be was reduced to the extremity of distress,
from which he delivered himself by making charts for navi-
gation ; and, having amassed a considerable sum of money,
he went to England, presented to the king a map of the
world in his own method, explained to him the plan his
brother had formed of striking much farther forward on
the ocean thkn bad ever yet been done : the prince in-
treated him to inviie over Christopher, promising to de-
fray the whole expence of the expedition ; but the latter
had already entered into an engagemi^nt with the crown of
Castile. Part of this story, and ' especially the proposal
made by the king of Encrland, seems totally without founda-
tion : but it appears that Bartholomew had a share in the
bounty bestowed on Christopher by the king of Castile;
and in 1493 these two brothers, and Diego Columbus,
who was the third, were ennobled. Don Bartholomew
underwent with Christopher the fatigues and daitgers inse-
parable from such long voyages as those in whibh tiiey both
engaged, and built the town of St. Domingo. Ha died in
1514, possessed of riches and honours. '
COLUMELLA (Lucius Jui^ius Moderatus), a native
of Spain, was a Latin writer, of whom nothing is known,
except that he flourished under the Roman Emperor CIcU-
dius, about the year of Christ 42 ; and has left some books
upon agriculture, and a " Treatise upon Trees." These
works are curious afsd valuable, as well for their matter as
* Life Ry his son, written aboat,1630» of wh'ch there is a French translation,
^Vi^, 168i, « voU. 12mo. — Delia pairiadi Colombo, Florence, 15'(>8, in tba
Turin Memoirs.-T-Robertson*8 Hist, of America. — Inquiry into the Discovery
of America by Dr. Williams, 8v9, n9l.— Cliaractei'of Columbus, Gtut. Mag,
'ol. tXl. p. 1104. See also art. Bbucm^ in this Dictionary.
* FerOioaml'Si Life.— Mcreri.
102 COLUMELLA.
Style, wjiich latter is thought by some to be not very remotQ
from the Latin of the Augustan age. They have usually
been published with the ** Scriptores de re rustica." *
COLUMNA (Guy),, was a native of Messina in Sicily,
who. followed Edward I. into England, on his return from
the Holy Land. About the year 1287 he compiled a chro-r
nicle in 36 books, and wrote several historical tracts in re-
lation to England. His most curious wort is, •' The his-
tory of the siege of Troy," in Latin, Cologne 1477, 4to,
and Strasbourg 1486, fol. These editions are very scarce,
as are the Italian translations 1481, Venice, in fol. and
Florence 1610, 4to j but the edition of Naples 1655, 4to,
is not so rare. ^
GOLUTHUS, a Greek poet, was a native of Lycopolis,
a city of TJiebais, in Upper Egypt, of whose parentage or
education nothing is recorded ; but we learn from Suidas
that he lived in the reign of Anastasius, who succeedecl
Zeno in the government of the Eastern empire, about th^
year 491. He wrote Caledonics, Persies, and Encomia;
btit none of his works now remain, except the ^* Rape of
Hel^n,'* and that in a mutilated state. It is not, however,
destitute of imagery, and is adorned by a variety of striking
and expressive epithets, although we may infer from it,
that th^ true poetic spirit had then ceased to flourish. The
first edition of this work is that by Aldus, 8vo, without a
date, along with Quintus Calaber; and (he last, if we
mistake not, was by Harl^s, 1776, 8vo, but the best i$
said to be that of Lanness, Gr. & Lat. 1747, 8vo. The
Italians and French have good translations in their re-
spective languages, and there are three in English ; the
first by sir Edward Sherborne in 1701, valuable chiefly for
his learned notes ; the second partly by Fawkes, and partly
by a nameless coadjutor, in 1780; and the third, inferior
to that of Fawkes, by an aponymous writer, was published
in 1786.'
COLWIL (Alexander)h a Scotch divine and poet, was
born near St. Andrew's in Fifeshire, 1620, and educated
in the university of Edinburgh, where he took his. degree
of D.D. and was settled minister at Dysart. In 1662 he
complied with the act of uniformity, and was appointed
principal of the university of Edinburgh, in the rpou^ of
I
I Moreri.— -Fahric. Bibl. Lat. — Sayii Ononiast.
• Moreri. — ^Dict. Hist.
? Morcri.—Dict. Hist,— Month. Rev, vol. LXXVI.-rVp^sius de Poet Gr»c.
C O L W I L. 103
Dr. LeighlOD^ promoted to the see of Dunblane* * He
wrote < several controversial tracts, most, of wh^h are bow
forgotten ; but that which particularly rc^commend^ him to
the notice of the public, • i$ a humorous . poem entitled
'' Scotch Hudibras," written in the manner of Butler.
This book gave great offence to the presby terians ; but
still, although little known in England, is well esteemed
in Scotland. He died at Edinburgh 16t6, aged 58.
This account, we know not on what authority, appeared
in the last edition of this Dictionary, and we suspect is
erroneous^ unless there were two Colwils, or Colvils, who
l^oth wrote ia imitation of Butler. In; 1681. one Samuel
Colvil published, . at London, ** The mock poem, or the
Whig's supplication," 12mo.^
COMBEFIS (Francis), a learned Dominican, was born
in 1605 at Marmande, and^ distinguished for his learning
and piety. The clergy of France appointed him a pension
of 1000 livres in 1650, as a reward for his merit, and an.
encouragement to complete those editions of the Greek
fathers which have procured him a name. He died at
Paris March 23, 1679, aged 74. He published the works
of St Amphilocbus^ St Methodius, St Andrew of Crete,
and several opuscula of the Greek fathers, and an addition
to the library of the fathers, 3 vols, folio, Gr. and Lat. He
also contributed to the edition of the Byzantine history,
^'Historise Bizant. Script, post Theoplianem,^' 1685, folio;
and there is a library of the fathers by him, for the preach-
.ers, 1662, 8 vols, folio, and other works. The chief objec-
tion to this laborious writer is the inelegance of his Latin
style, which renders some of his translations obscure.'
COMBER (Thomas), dean of Durham, the sop of James
Comber, and Mary Burton, who, . when she married his
father was the widow of Mr. Edward Hampden oif Wester-
ham in Kent, was born at Westerham March 19, 1644,
and was the last child baptised in that parish church ac-
cording to the rites of the church of England, before those
rites were prohibited by the usurping powers. His father
was so persecuted in that tumulti^ous period, for his loyal^
ty, as to be compelled to take refuge in Flanders, leaving
his son entnrely under the care of his mother. , His early
education he received at the school of Westerham, under
* Lait edit, of this Diet. — ^Irving's Litcs of lh« Scotch Poets.— Campbe)l*t
Introduction to tilt History of Scotish Poetry.
t< Moreri.-*PLCt. Hiit.— Saxii pnomiuticoa.
\ *
h
104^ C O M B X It
the reir. Tbomas Walter, a teacher of pietti at well as
learning. Here his progress was se rapid that be cimid '
read and write Greek before be was ten yeaiss old, and in
other respects, was accounted a pupil of great promise.
From this place heretnoved in 1653 to London, and passed
some time under a schoolmaster, a distant relation, but
without adding much to his stock of knowledge, and in
1656 returned to his first master at Westerham, afid on bis
death, read Greek and Latin, for a year, assisted by the
rev. William Holland.
In 1^59 he was admitted of Sidney-Sussex college, G»i«
bridge, AprillS, after having completed his fourteenth
year. Here be was undei" the care of tbe rev. Edmmnd
Matthews, B. D. senior fellow and president of the college*
To this gentleman he acknowledges his obligations {<3t the
{irains he took in teaching bim experimental ptulosopby^
geometry, astronomy, and otjiier parts of the mathematics^
liinsic, painting, and even the Oriental languages, and the
elements of philosophy and divinity. His femfly having been
auflPerers by the rebellion, he was c^liged to husband his little
property with the utmost care, and seems to have considered
an exhibition of ten pounds annually as a very importanl
acquisition ; because with the addition of 6ve pounds fron
a private benefactor, he informs us, ^il enabled him te Kve
very jvell, and from that time, he put bis parents to no
other expence, but that of providing him his clothes and
books." In January 1662 he was chosen $chdar ol the
house, with another pension of five pounds per armum^
which cheered an oeconomif^t of such humble expectations
with the prospect of absolnte plenty. Having been ad*
initted to the degree of A. B. Jan. 21, 1662, he now in«
dulged the natural wish of a young scholar, to continue in
the university, and was led to entertain hopes of obtaining
a fellowship, either in his own college, or in St. «k)hn'B, the
jhaster of which, Dr; Gunning, had made him many pro«
mises ; but these proving, abortive, and the ten pound ex*
bibition being withdrawn (which did not come from the "'
college, but from a fund raised by certain Kentish men
resident in London} he 'was obliged to leave tbe univer-
sity, and retire to his father's house. In this sitnation^
however^ he was not without friends ; a Mr. John Hdney* *
qf Eden*bridge, a pious old gentleman, and his father^s
particular friend, found out has merit, and made him a:
handsome present, with a request thai be woul4 daraw npon
■ I
• ■ . • • *
Ufll M tiny tfibe for any sum he tnigbt wint ; and M> totoy
other friends from other quarters ap|>eared, that Mr. Cdm**
ber never faund it necessary to avail himself of Mr. HoU
niey's m.unifieeneein the future J>eriods of his life.
Early in 1663, he accepted ah invitation to the house of
Us late precept(Mr Mr. Holland, now rector of All-hali6wil
Staining, London, and being ordained deacon Aug. id,
be read prayers for Mr. Holland, and employed the week
in studying at Sion college. Soon after he was invited to
be curate to the rev. Gilbert Behnet, who held the living
of Stonegrave in Yorkshire, and who promised, if he Kked
bim, to resign in bis favour in a year or two, as be was pos-
sessed of other preferment. Having accepted this offer,
he was next year ordained priest at York mitister by arch-
bishop Sterne, and no objection was made to hi$ age*
(twenty years) on account of his uncommon qualificattons ;
and when this circumstance, which had not passed unob-
iServed, was afterwards objected to the archbishop, ks an
irregularity, he declared he had found no reason to repent.
In 1666 he was admitted at Cambridg'e to bis master^s de-'
gree by proxy, the plague then raging at the university.
At Stonegrave, his character having recommended him tb
the notice of Mr. Thornton of East- Newton in Yorkshire,
be was invited to reside at that gentleman's house, and he
afterwards married one of his daughters. While he lived
with this family, he wrote variotts theological pieces, and
also amused himself with poetical compositions. In 1669
Mr. Bennet resigned the living of Stonegrave, and Mr.
Comber was inducted in October of that year.
Having long been an admirer of the church-service, he
determined to recommend it to the public, which at that
time was frequently interested in disputes respecting set
fbrms and extempore prayer; and with this view published,
about 1672, the first part of his " Companion to the Tem-
ple j** in 1674 the second part; and in 1675, the third part,
of which a different arrangement was adopted in the sub*
sequent editions. In 1677, he was installed prebend of
Holme in the metropolitan church ef York, and the same
year, so rapid was the sale, a third edition of his *^ Com-
panion to the Temple'* was published, and at the same
time a new edition of a very useful tract, to which he did
not put his name, entitled ^' Advice to the Roman CatHo-*
lits," and his first book of " The Right of Tithes,*' &^.
against Elwood the quaker, and also v^thout bis name.
106 , CO M B E R.
The same year appeared his " Brief Disooiirse on the
Offices of Baptism, Catechism, and Confirmation," dedi-
cated to Tillptson. In 1678 the living of Thornton be-
coming vacant, be was presented to it by sir Hugh Cjiol-
meley ; and as this place was only ten miles from Stone-
grave, he found no difficulty in obtaining a dispensation
from the archbi^op of Canterbury, who also created him,
hy patent, D. D. In 1680 we find him combating an ad-
versary, on the subject of tithes, far more considerable
than Elwood, namely, John Selden, so justly celebrated for
* his learning and abilities. In confutation of Selden^s
** History of Tithes," he now published the first part of
his " Historical Vindication of the Divine right of Tithes,"
and in 1681, the second part. Some time in this year,
be published a tract,^ entitled ** Religion and Loyalty,"
which he informs us was intended to convince the duke of
York, that no person in succession to the throne of England
ought to embrace popery ; and to persuade the people of
England not tQ alter the succession. As in this pg^nphlet
he seemed tp favour the doctrine of non-resistance, he was
attacked by. the popular party as an enemy to freedom;
but his biographer has defended him with success against
such charffes.
Some inferior preferments, obtained by Dr. Comber,
were followed (in 1683) by a grant of the dignity of pre-
centor of York. He was in this situation when a series of
imprudent and arbitrary measures roused that national
spirit which drove James 11. from his throne. The pre-
centor was not slow in promoting this spirit; and, when
the prince and princess of Orange had been called to the
throne, he vindicated the legality of the new government
against the calumnies of the Tory party. His patriotic
exertions were not unrewarded j for he was promoted in
1691 to the valuable deanry of Durham, partly by the in*
terest of archbishop Tillotson, but was not a little affected
in owing the vacancy to the deprivation of his friend Dr.
Dennis Grenville, a nonjuror. He would probably have
been at length advancQd to the episcopal dignity, , had not
a consumption put an end to his life m 1699, before he
had completed his fifty r-fifth year.
Besides the works already noticed, Dr. Comber wrote,
1 . " A Scholastical History of the primitive and general
use of Liturgies in the Christian Church ; together with an
Answer to Mr. David Clarkson's late Discourse concerning
COMBER. 107
Liturgies/* Lond. 1690, dedicated to king- William and
queen Mary. 2. " A Companion to the Altar f or, an
Help to the worthy Receiving of the Lord's Supper, by
Discourses and Meditations upon the whole Communion-
office." 3. "A brief Discourse upon the Offices of Bap-
tism, Catechism, and Confirmation," printed at the end of
the Companion to the Altar." 4. " A Discourse on the
occasional Offices in thfe Common Prayer, viz. Matri-
mony, Visitation of the Sick, Burial of the Dead, Church-
ing oF Women, and the Commination." 5. *^ A Discourse
upon the Manner and Form of making Bishops, Priests,
and Deacons," London, 1699, 8vo, dedicated to archbishop
Tenison. 6. " Short Discourses upon the whole Common
Prayer, designed to inform the judgment, and excite the
devotion of such as daily use the same ;" chiefly by way of
paraphrase, London, 1684, 8 vo, dedicated to Anne, prin-
cess of Denmark, to whom the author was chaplain. 7.
*^ Roman Forgeries in the Councils during the first four
Centuries ; together with an Appendix, concerning the
forgeries and errors in the annals of Baronius," ibid. 1689,
4to. It seems doubtful, whether the edition of Fox'i
"Christus Triumpbans," which appeared in 1672, was
published by him. From his correspondence, and from a
MS account of his life left in his family, his great grandson,
the rev. T. Comber of Jesus college, Cambridge, publish-
ed in 1799, an interesting volume,, entitled " Memoirs
of the Life and Writings of Thomas Comber, D. D.
some time dean of Durham ; in which is introduced a
candid view of the scope and execution of the several
works of Dr. Comber, as well printed as MS. ; also a fair
account of his literary correspondence." Of this we have
availed ourselves as to the preceding facts, and must still
refer to it for a more satisfactory detail of Dr. Comber's
public services and private character. He was unques-
tionably a pious, learned, and indefatigable supporter of
the doctrine and discipline of the church of England ; and
his private character added a very striking lustre to his
public professions. His principal works, not of the con-
troversial kind, are those he wrote on the various parts of
the liturgy, which, although in less reputation now than
formerly, unquestionably were the first of the kind, and
rendered the labours of his successors Nichols, Wheatley,
&c. more easy. His style is in general perspicuous, al-
though void of ornament, and the phraseology, somewh?Lt
108 COMBER*
peculiar ; but theie liturgical commentaries are chiefly
valuai^le for tbe accumulatioii of learned references aiul
authorities^ As to bis private character^ bis biograpbefr
^sures us, tbat '' his modesty and iaambition were singu-
larly remarkable. Content with a moderate fortune^ b«
was desirous of continuing in a private station, tbougk
possessed of abilities and integrity capable of adorning tb«
most exalted and spleudid rank. Insensible equally to the
calls of ambition and the allurements of wealtb^ we bebal4
him declining situations of honour and emolument, to ob-
tain which thousands have made sbipwreck of their honour
and conscience. When the importunity of his friends had
at last prerailed on him to lay aside his thoughts of con-
tinuing in obscurity, and induced him to step forward into
a more public life, we see him reapect^d by all tbe great
and good men of his time, and freqijcntly receiving public
marks of esteem from the lips of royalty iU3:f< The sama
modesty which had made him desirous of coitlinuing ina
private station, still adhered to him when preferred to an
eminent dignity in the church : unassuming and hun^ble iti
private life, in publie he was dignified without pride, and
generous without ostentation.''
There was also another Thomas Comber, D. D« who
lived in the same century, and was of Trinity college in
Cambridge. He was born in Sussex, Jan. I, 1575 > ad^
mitted scholar of Trinity college, May 15^3 ; chosen feU
low of the same^ October 1597 ; preferred to the deanery
of Carlisley August 1630; and sworn in master of Trinity
. college, Oct. 1631. In 1642, he was imprisoned, plundered,
'and aeprived of all his preferments; and died February
1653, at Cambridge. He was a man of very extensive
learning, particularly in the classical alid oriental lan-
guages ; and Neal, the historian of his persecutors, bears
testimony to the excellence of hts character in this and
other respects. He is here however noticed, chiefly ta
correct the mistakes of the Biog. Britannica, Wood's
Athenss, &c. in which tie is confounded with the dean of
Durham, and said to have entered into a controver$y witb
Selden on the subject of tithes. He was| however, relate<t
to him, the dean's g^ndfather John Comber, esc^ being hi»
uncle.'
COMBER (TBOMAa),. LL, D. grandson to the preceding
t>r. Comber, dean of Durham, was educated at Jesua ceU
* MeiDOHTf a*«bo^«.— Bireh'sTillotsofi.— Oftte Dean of Carlisl*, sceWal*
ker^s Sufferings, and hif Funeral Sermon by Borenan, 1653, 4to.
C 0 tf B £ B. 109
UfPi Candsirklge, wheceht torii bii dcgHfts of B. A. IT44,
It A. 177Q, aod LUft 1777. Hewts vector of Kirkby
Misperton, Vorkdbire, mA 4luirwiurd9 eeetor q£ Morborm
^ BuckwDith^ in Hiiiiti4g<Uiii«hire. He wn a man of
^niidefmUe parta and learnifig^ and tli^ author of >seveni
eoAtroserttial tractB, amoi^ vi^isk ara : 1* ''The Heathen
JKgectioii of Cbnsiiianuy in tbe&nst a^s cenflifkvad^" 114i7»
^0, 2, ^ Ap Examidttdon of a fete intredMetory JUa**
eoune ooneevning Mwiusuioos Power/' ^Ihi Middleton, a
paoipUet in whidsk Wavkunoa diacewved madia of genitts
«ad aenae, but with some puerilities. 3. f^ A Vindtcatmn
of die gneat R^vcduiiQB in En^and in IM^^ &c." 1TM»
^€0. 4u ^ A f^ree aad Caa&d ConmifieBdeaee on the
Smner'a Lettec to the people ef En^ad^ Aie^ with tbo
Author/' 1770^ &VQ. £. ^A Treatise of I,aws, froatthd
QsgA ci Sytbui^ius'a edition of Theodoiety bishop of Cyw
prua, &c.'^ 1T76, 8io. & ^< Memoirs of the Life and
Death o£ th^ right hoa. the Lond DepaQr Wandesfoide/'
Cambridge, 1779, )2me^ Dr. Comber was great gseat
grandson to this nobleman. . This fatat ia a irery cnrioas and
a vjety sconce performance. It is marhed on the titlo-ipage,
^oL II. and was to he eonaideued aa the second Tolume of a
woek published by our author in 1777, eaititled ^ A Book
of luatmetioos, written by sir Chriafeo^er Wandesferde to
his sen, but tbey are aridom Hpund together.^' Dr. Gon«>
her died in 177ft. ^
COMENIUt$ (JooM Ajcos), a eelebratted grammarian
and protest9&t din^ino) waa bora in Moravia in L5M. Har-*
^S atiidied ia several plaoea, and particularly at Herbom^
hei returned to, bia awn country in 1614, and waa made
i^ter of a college there. He was ordained mtniater in
ULfi, and two years after became pastor of die church of
Fuloec : a|fc which time he waa appointed master of a school
' lately erectedj He then appeara to have projected the
kitroduotioii of a new method for teaching the laiqpiagea*
He published some eaaaysr for thiapuipoae in 16 16^ and
hadpr^Mured o^r pieces on that subject, which weve de-»
atroyed in 1621, when the Spaniards plundered his library,
aft^ having taken the cky. The ministers of Bdiemia
and Morvria being outlaw^ by an edict in 1624, and the
peraecatiQU increasing the ymr after, Comeniua Aed to
LeiDa, a city of FoUiid, and tau^^ Lactinc. There be pub*
110 C O M £ N 1 U S.
lishedih 1631, his book entitled '^Janua linguarum rese^
rata," or, " tbe gate of languages unlocked :" of which be
gives us an account which is uniyersally allowed to be true :
** I neirer could have imagined," says he, " that this little
book, calculated only for children, should have met with
universal applause from the learned. This has been justi-
fied by the letters I have received from a great number of
learned men of different countries, in which they :higbly
congratulate me on this new invention; as well as by. the
versions which have been emulously made of it into several
modern tongues. For it has not only been translated inta
twelve European languages, namely, Latin, Greek, Bohe-'
mian, Polish, German, Swedish, Dutch, English, Freuch,
Spanish, Italian, Hungarian ; but likewise into the Asiatic
languages, as, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and even ^e Mo^
gul, which is spoken all over the East Indies.'' It was af-
terwards reprinted under the title of ^' Orbis sensualium
pictus," and is still, according to baron Born, used in the
schools of Bohemia, Comeniias being particularly skilled
in the language of that country. .
This book gained Comenius such reputation, that the
govert^ing powers of Sweden wrote to him. in 1638, aad
oifFered him. a commissioii for new regulating all the schools- .
in that kingdom ; which offer, however, he did not thiiilc
proper, to accept, but only promised to assist with his ad-
vice those who should be appointed to Execute that com-
mission. He then translated into Latin, a piece which he
had written in his native tongue, concerning the new^
method of instructing youth, a specimen of which appeared
under the title of ^^ Pansophi® prodromus," or *' The
forerunner of universal learning," printed at London, 1639,
]2mo, and translated by Jer. Colliery 1651. This made
him considered as one very capable of reforming the ihe-
thod of teaching; and the parliament of England desired
his assistance to reform the schools of this kingdom. He!
arrived at London, Sept. 1641, but the rebellion th^i
commencing, shewed Comenius that this wa^ not a juhc-^
tu re favourable to his designs; he went therefore to Swe-^
den, whither he had been invited by Lewis de Geer, ^
gentleman of great merit, who had the public wdlfare
very much at heart. He. arrived there in August 1642,'
and discoursed with .Oxeustiern about his method : the
result oF which conference was, that he should go and fix
at Elbing'irf Prussia, and cptnpose it. In the mean time
I
I
C O M E N I U S. Ill
Lewb de Geer settled a considerable stipend upon him, *
by which means, being delivered from the drudgery of
teaching a. school^ he employed himself wholly in finding
out general methods for those ifho instructed youtbt
Having spent four years at Elbing in this study, he returned
to Sweden to shew his composition, which was examined
by three commissioners, and declared worthy of being
made public when completed. He spent two more years
upon it at Elbing, and then was obliged to return to Lesna.
In 1650 he took a journey to the court of Sigismund Ra-
gotski, prince of Trausilvania : where a conference was
desired with him on the subject of education. He gave
this prince spme pieces, containing in'structions for regu«-
lating the college of Patak, pursuant to the maxims laid
down in his ^^ Pansophia ;" and, during four years, he wa^
allowed to propose whatever he pleased with regard to the
government of that college. After this he returned to
Lesna, and did not leave it till it was burnt by the Poles ;
of which calamity, as we shall see below, Comenius was
charged with being the cause. He lost there all his ma«^
nuscripts, except what he had written on Pansophia,: and
on the Ileveiations. He fled into. Silesia, thence to Bran*
denburgh, afterwards to Hamburgh, and lastly to Amster-
dam ; where he met with so much encouragement, that
he was tempted to conjtinue there for the remainder of his
life. He printed there, in 1657, at the expence of hi^
Miecenas, the different parts of his new method of. teach^
ing. The work is in folio, and divided into four parts.
^' The whole," says Bayle, '^ cost the author prodigious
pains, other people a great deal of money, yet the learned
received no benefit from it; nor is there, in my opinion,
any thing practically useful in tlie hints of that author/* .
But Comenius \nis not only intent upon the reformation
of schools ; he had become a deep researcher into pro*
phecies, revolutions, the ruining of antichrist, the milieu^
nium, &c. arid had collected with prodigious care the chi-
meras of Kotterus, those of Christiana Poniatovia, and of
Drabibius, and published them at Amsterdam. These
writers promised miracles to those who should. endeavour
to extirpate the house of Austria and the pope. Gustai-
vus 'Adolphus, and Charles Gustavus, kings of Sweden,
Cromwell and Ragotski, had been promised as those who
should accomplish those splendid prophecies; to whicir,
however, the ^veut did nQt;«orrespQnd.« Wje^re tddtbat
c a M E N I U f.
I
CcMKie»iti«, itpi Icnowing how ta extriette UniBetf, at
toak it into bii» bead to addf^ss Leiiris XIV. of Itene^;
that be seol him a cq^y of Drabiciuf^s prophe6ifl% and
infia«ated tb94: it vfn% to this monarch God pioaiiflsed Ike
empif e of the worlds by the dowofiiU of tbone who perse-
oyted Christ. He wrote some boohs at Amsterdaoi ; oife'
iwticularly against <les Marets CQDceraing the miUciiQiutii»
and Des Marets answered with contecnpt aed asperityi m-*
presenting bioi as an in^ostor.
Comeaius became at kst sensible of the vanity of his <
labours, as we learn from the book he pubHshcd in l^W -^
at AoEisterdacn, entitled ^^ Unhis neoeasarii^^' or ** Of the ^
one thing needfiii ;" in which he afiqnaints us also widi Ike
jreaohit»>n he had made, ol easploying all bis future? tfaoo^ls
wholly on bis salvation^ and this he probably kept. He
died at AmsterdaiD, 1671, in his eightieth year. Had be
lived n^ucfa longer^ he would have seen the falsity d lAs
pfopheoies with re^rd to the millennium, which, he af*
.finned wddd begin in 1672,. or 1673. Whatever mertifi*
cation Comenius nrast have fek on the score of his prophe-
cies,, his eneniies have brueght mere sevious charges against
hisn,^ He waa first reproached witb.having done great pre-
judice tO' bis Wethieo, who were banished with bias from
Moravia. Most ef them had fled from their country with
considerable sums of money.; but, instead of bein^ ceco- -
nemists^ they squandered it away in. a short time, becauee
Comenius prophesied they should return to their countiy
immediately, aaid thus they were very aoon reduced to
beggary. He was also accused of having been the cause
of the plundering and hucniug of Lesna, where his bre-
thren bad found an asylum, by the panegyric he mcM^e so ;
unse^onably upon Charles Gustavus of Sweden,, when he
invaded Poland. Comenius proclaimed him in a prophetic
manner to be the iaimediate destroyer of popery; by
which the pcptestants of Poland became extremely odious
t» the fipman catholics of that kingdom. He did not
seem to be undeceived when the kaog of Sweden turned his
i^ems againsi: Denmark; for he made him a second pane-
gymcy wherein he congratulated him no less on this new
ifivasion than he had, done upon the former. But whatever
credit, the protestants of Lesna might give to Conoenrns,
fbat city was sarprised and burnt by the Polish army ; oti
wrfaich, occasion Comenius lost his house, his furniture, and
hoa library ; a proof that^ if he waa an impostor, he had
-. X
C O M E N I U S. 113
first deceived himself* Part of his apocalyptic treatises,
and some other pieces relating to his Patisophia, escaped
the flames ; be having just time to cover them in a hole
underground^ from which they wer^ taken ten days, after
the fire : but hi« ** Lexicon Bobemicum/' a work which
baroQ Born conceives would have been of the highest
utility, was totally destroyed. On this he had spent above
forty years of bis life.
Besides the works already mentbned, Comenius wrpte»
U '* Synopsis Physicse, ad lumen divinum reformatse/*
Aoist. 1643, and 1645, 13mo, published in English, 1651,
l2mo. This 'book has procured him a place in Brucker*s
class of scriptural philosophers. Comenius, according to
his analysis of the work, supposes three principles of na«
ture — matter, spirit, and light ' the first, a dark, inactive,
corporeal substance, which receives forms < the second,'
the subtle, living, invisible substance, which animates ma*
terial bodies; the third, a middle substance between the
two former, lucid, visible, moveable, capable of penetrate
ing matter, which is the iitstirument by which spirit acts
upon matter, and which performs its office by means gf
motion,-^ agitation, or vibration. ^ Of these thcee principles
be conceived all created beings to be composed. This
doctrine he attempts to derive from the Mosaic history of
the creation ; but the scholastic fictions which men of this
cast ascribe to Moses, Moses himself would probably nevet
have owned. 2. ^'Ecclesiae Slavonic, &c. brevis his«
toriola,'' Amst. 1660, afterwards published by Buddeus
under the t^le of *' Historia Fratrum Bohemorum," 1702,
4to. Several other of his publications, now of little io<»
terest, are enumerated in our authorities.^
COMES (Natalis), or No£L Conti, an Italian writer^
was born at Venice about the commencement of the six*
teenth century, 'and became greatly distinguished for clas-
sical learning. He translated from Greek into Latin the
" Deipnosophistss of Atbenaeus," the *^ Rhetoric of Her'
mogenes,'* and he published original poems in both these
iaogiiages. He wrote a history of his own times from 1545.
to 1581, foL 1612, a very scarce edition. The first was
ibat of 1572, 4to, but his principal work is a system of
* Gen. Diet.— Baron Bom's £Afies Virorum Bohemia, vol. I.— Morboff
Polyhist. who speaks with much sererity of bis ** >aou« Lioi;uaram.''— Foppaa
Bibl. Belg.— Brucker's Hiit of Pbiloiopby.— Freytag AdparaL Lit^Saxii Ofto-
IDMtioOO.
Vol. X. I
»x
U4 COM E .S.
mythology entitled << MyHiologiis, sire explicationls Fa*
Vuiarum, lib. X.** Padua, 1616, 4to, and often reprinted.
It was dedicated to Charles IX. of Ftance. He died in
1589, and on account of his lo?e of allegory and mysticism
be was denominated by Joseph Scaliger^ rather harshly,
^ Homo futilissimus. '
^ COMIERS (Claude)» canon of Embnin, his .native
place, was professor of mathematics at Paris, and was eai«
ployed some tidoie on the Journal des Savans, bat becooi*
ing blind, he entered the Quinze-Vingts of Paris, where
^e died in 1693. The chief of his works are, 1. ^^ The
new science of th^ nature of Comets.** 2. *^ A Discourse
on Comets.^' 3. '^ Three Discourses on the aft of pro**
longing Life,'' suggested by an article in the Gazette of
lloUand. concerning a Louis Galdo, who was said to have
lived 400 years. These discourses are curious from the
number of anecdotes. they contain. 4. *' A Tract on Spec-
tacles for assisting the Sight," 16B2. 5. A Treatise on
Prophecies, Vaticinations, Predictions and Prognostica-
tions,'* against M. Jurieu, i2mo. 6,*^ A Treatise on
Speech^ on Languages, and Writings, and on the art of
secret speaking and writing," Liege, 16.91, 12mo, which,
says our authority, although it passed through two editions,
is extremely rare. •
COMINES, or COMMINES, Lat Cominaus (Phii.ip
1>£), an excellent French historian, was born of a noble
family in Flanders, 1 446. He was a man of great abilities,
which, added to his illustrions birth, soon recommended
hior to the notice.of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy,
with whon^ he lived in intimacy for about eight years. He
was afterwards invited to the court of France by Louis XP.
fmd became a man of consequence, not only from the
countenance which was given him by the monarch, but
from other great connections also, which he' formed by mar-
rying into a noble family. Louis made him his chamber-
lain; and seneschal or chief magistrate of the province of
Poictou. . He also employed him in several negotiations,
which he executed in a satisfactory manner, and enjoyed
the high favour of his prince. But aftier the death .of
Louis, when bis successor Chai^les YIII. c^xae to the throne,
the enVy of his adversaries prevailed so far, ths^t he was
>
^ Moreri.— Diet Hist— Saxii Onomast— Clement Bibl. Curieuse.
i
.1
COMINES. 115
jjdpfisooed at Locbes, in the county of Berry^ and treated
^itb great severity ; but by the application of his wife, he
was removed at length to Paris. After some time he was
convened before the parliament, in which he pleaded his
own caude with such effect, that,, after a speech of two
hours, he was dischi^rged. In this harangue he insisted
much upon what he had done both for the king and king-
domj and the favqur and bounty of his master Louis XI.
He remonstrated to them, that he had done nothing either
trough avarice or ambition ; and that if his designs had
been only to have enriched himself, he had as fair an op«
portunity of doing it as any man of his condition in France*
H^ died in a house of his own called Argenton, Oct.
17, 1509; and his body, being carried to Paris^ was in-
terred IB the church belonging to the Augustines, in .a
chapel which he bad built for himself. In his prosperity
be bad the foUowiug saying frequently in his mouth : ^^ He
that will not work, let him not eat :^' in his adversity he
l^sed to say, ** I committed myself to the sea, and am
overwhelmed in a storm." *
He was a mail 'of great parts, but not learned. He
spoke several modem languages, well, the German, French,
and Spanish . especially ; biit.he knew nothing of the an-
cient, which he used to lament. His ^^ Memoirs of his own
tiinea/' eoihmente from 14<i4, and include a period of
ihirty-fouf f year$ ; in which are commjemorated the most
remarkably acitions of the iwo last dukes of Burgundy, and
of Lo\k\% XLatid Charles VIII. kings of France ; as like*
wise the most importa<i4: contemporary transactions in Fng^*
land, Fla^dera, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The great
penetration and judgment which Comines has shewn in
these memoirs j the extensive know lege of men and things,
the. Wonderful skill in unfolding counsels and tracing ac*
tions to their -first springs, and the variety of excellent
precepts, political aind philosophical, with which the whole
is wrought up, have long preserved the credit of this work;
Catherine "de Medicis used to say, that Comines havl made
as many heretics in politics as Luther bad in religion. Hd
has one qualification not -yet mentioned, which ought par^
ticularly to recommend him to our favour; and that is, the
great impartiality he shews to the English. Whenever be
has occasion to mention our nation, h is with much re-
Bpect; and though, indeed^ he thinks us deficient in po*?
i^ticai knowledge, when compared with hu own couniry*
I 2
116 C O M I N E S.
men, he gives us the character of being a generous, boldr
spirited people; highly . commends our constitution, and
never conceals the grandeur and magnificence, of the Eng»
lish'nation. Dryden, inhi^ life of Plutarch,, has made the
historian some return for bis civilities ; in tbe foilowing
elogiuiij : ** Next to Thucydides,** says that poet; **in this
kind may be accounted Polybius among the Grecians;
Livy, though not free from superstition, nor TacHus from
ill- nature, amongst the Romans; amongst the modem
Italians, Guiociardini and d^Avila, if not partial :< but above
all men, in my opinion, the plain, sincere, unaffected^
and most instructive Philip deComines amongst the Ft^icby
though he only gives his history the humble name of Com**
mentaries. I am sorry I cannot find in our own nation^
though it has produced some commendable historians; any
proper to be ranked with these." There are a very great
number of editions of these " Memoirs" in French, enu-
merated by Le Long : the best, in the opinion of his coitti*
trymen, is^ that of the abb6 Lenglet du Fresnoy, Paris,
1747, 4 vols. 4to, under the title of London. It was trans-
lated into English in 1596, as noticed by Ames and Her-
bert, who have, however, confounded him with Philip Am
Mornay. The last English translation was that of Uv^ale^
1712, 2 vols. 8 vo.*
COMMANDINE (Frederick), a celebrated mathema-
tician and linguist, who was bom at Urbino in Italy, in
1509, and died in 1575, was famous Jbr his learning and
knowledge in the sciences. To- a great depth and just
ta^te in the mathematics, he joined a critical skill in the
Greek language ; a happy conjunction which made him
very well qualified for translating and expounding the
writings of the Greek mathematicians. And, accordingly,
with a most laudable zeal and industry, he translated and
published several of their works for the first time. On
which account, Francis Motia, duke of Urbino, who wa»
very conversant in those scienoesy proved a very affectionate
patron to him. He is greatly applauded by Bianchini, and
other writers ; and he justly deserved their encomiums.
Of his own works Commandine published the following :
1. " Commentarins in Planisphserium Ptolomsei,** 1558,
4to. 2. " De Centro Gravitatis Solidbrum,^' Bonon. 1565,
t Moreri.— Diet. Hist,-^Poppen Bibl. Belg.-^Le Loof Bibl. Historique: —
SaxU Ononast.
€OMMANDINE. 117
4to. 3. '< Horologioniin Descriptioi** Rom. 1562, 4to;
He tranalM^d and iUttttrated v^ith notes the following works,
most of them beauttfoHy priniedy in 4to, by the celebrated
printer Aldus : 1. <* Arcbimedis CircuU Dimensio; de Li-
neis Spiralibui ; Qaadratura Parabolas ; de Conoidibus et
Sphderoidiboft ; de Arens^ Namero/* 1553. 2. <' Ptolo-
miei PlanispbflBrium ; et Planisphsrium Jordan!/^ 1558.
S. " Ptolomiiei Analemona/* 1562. 4. « Archimedis de iia
quse vebuntur in aqua/' 1565. 5. " Apollonii Pergal
Cbnicorum libri quatuor, una cum Pappt Alexandrini Lem*
^tnatibus, et Commentariis Eutocii Ascalonita?/' &c. 1566.
.6. *^ Machometes Bagdadinos de Superficierum Divisioni-
bus,'* 1570. 7. "Eiementa Eqdidis," 1572. 8. *♦ Aris-
tarcfaus de magnitudinibus et distantiis SoHs et Luii»,^*
J572. 9. " H^ronis Alexandrini Spirituaiium liber," 1583.
.10. " Pappi Alexandrini Collectiones Matheraaticae," i 588.'
' COMMELIN (Jerome), a celebrated French printer,
native of Douay, settled first at Geneva, afterwards at
Heidelberg, where he died in 1 59^. He was a very learned
schdlar, as appears by all the editions of ^he Greek and
Latin ^Uihers which he corrected, ^nd to which he added
ncffies^ that are much esteemed. He printed since 1560, in
^Switzerland, S. Ghrysostomus iirNov. Testamentum, 1596,
,^:.2rols. fbU iTkis .edition:,: with that of the Old Testti->
ment printed at Paris, make^' this w^ork complete, and
4be besir edition. -Me took, up his residence Ut Heidelberg
^forthe'couyentence^of' consulting the MSS. in the Palatine
-iibiisiry; > lie^^pirin^d many otfaar books ; those without his
'naoteare koolirif iiy his mark, which represents Truth sitting
ki tt chain Hia edition of Apollodoras is well known in
classical . lUEiraries, but unfortunately he did not live to
iiniisiiit,.- which wss accomplislied iu 1599 by his assistant
. Bonutius.*
COMMELIN (John), a distinguislied botanist, wa$ born
at Amsterdam, July 23, 1629. He succeeded his father
- as one of the magiatraces of the city, and while holding
this office Was very active in forming a iie^v botanical gar*-
den ; the ground occupied by the. old garden having been
taken into the city. The second and third volumes of tlie
^^ Hortus Indicus Malabaricus,'' owe much of their value
to his judicious notes and observations. He published
I Gen. Diet — Chaufepie. — VoBsius de Scient. Math. — Hatton^i Diet.— Sax\i
Onomait.— NiceroD, vol. Vf.
• Fwpp«R Bibl. Belg.— Diet. Hist.— Morcru— Saxii On'omast. "
us CO ftLM JE 1, I N.
f^ Catalogas 'Platiucrum indigfenarain HoUandie^/''. ISSS*^
12nio, containing a Ikt of 776 piant9; and, in 1^89, *^ Ca*
talogiis Plantaruin Horti Medici Amstelodami, pars prior/*
bpth wh^ch have beon freqaentlj reprinted. While pre*^
paring to complete this work, be died at Amsterdam in
1692. His nephew, Gaspar Commelin, after taking his
degree of doctor in medicine, was appointed professor in
Iwuny, and direi:tor of the garden at Amsterdam, offices
which he filled with 4istiliigmsbed d»|iity and attention.
He completed the work begun by his uncle^ which be pvih*
lished in 1701. His next production was *^ Flora Mala^
barica, seu Horti Malabarici Catadogus,'* serving as an in-
dex to the Hortus Malabaricus. This was followed by
^' Prseludta Anatomict^,'' 1705, 4to; and the same year,
'f iPr«Bludia Botanica,'- with figures for the benefit of stu-
dents in those arts. In 1715 be published ^MconesPIan*
tarum, presertim ex Indiis collectarum,'* 4 to ; and in 1718,
f* Botanographi^^ Malabarica, a nominum barbarismis re-
flftituta," Lugduni Bat. folio. ^
COMMEUSON (Philibert), doctor of physic, king*d
botanist, and member of the faculty of Montpelier, waa
born at Chatilon les Dombes near Bourg in Bre^se, in 1727^
He discovered an early propensity to botany and other
branches of natural history, which he pursued with unre«-
mitting ardour, and, as it is said, with very little delicacy,
performing the same tricks in a garden, which coin and
print collectors have been known to perform in museums
and libraries. When at Montpelier, he miide no scruple
to pluck the rarest an<| most precious plants in the king*9
botanic garden there, to enrich bis herbal ; and when on
this account the directors of the garden refused him ad-
mittance, he scaled ^tbe walls by night to continue his de*^
predations. The reputation, however, of a better kind,
whici} he gained during a residence of four years at Mont-
pelier, induced Linnaeus to recommend' hhn as a proper
person to form the queen of Sweden^s collection of the
rarest fishes in the Mediterranean, and to compose accu-
rate descriptions of them ; which undertaking he executed
with great labdur and dexterity, producing a complete
Ichthyology, 2 vols. 4to, with a Dictionary and Bibliogra-
phy, containing accounts of ait the authors who had treated
tliat branch of natural history. Among his various pro-
1 Diet. Hist^-Haller Bibl. Botan^— Rees's Cyclopsdia*
COM HE R 8 O N. lit
doctions, is a diiteitation entitled *' The Martyrebgy of
Botany,*' containiag accounts of all the antbors who lost
their lives by the fatigues and accidents incident to the
seal for'acqiiiring natural curiosities; a list, in which his
own name was destined to 'be enfolled« Sometimes he haf
been found in bis closet with a candle burning long after
sunrise^ with his bead bent over his herbal, unconseious
of its being day-light ; and usedf frequently to return fron
his botanical excursions torn with briars, bruised with falls
from rocks, and emaciated witli hunger and fatigue, after
many narrow escapes from precipices and^torrents. These
ardent occupations did not, however, extinguish senti^
ments of a more tender nature. M. Commerson married iA
1760 a wife who died in childbed two years after, aud whose
memory he preserved by naming a new kind of plant, whose
fruit seemed to contain two united hearts, *^ Pulcheria
Commersonia.*' He arrived at Paris in 1764, where he
became connected with all the learned botanists, particu*-
Jarly the celebrated Jussieu ; and was^recommended to the
duke de Praslin, minister for the marine department, to
accompany M. Bougainville in his voyage round the world.
The duke conceived the highest idea of bis merit from the
dcetcb be drew of the observations that might be made
relative to natural history in such a voyage ; and he sailed
accordingly, in 1766, making the most industrious use of
every opportunity to fulfil his engagements^ He died at
the Isle of France in 1772^, and by his will left to the:
king^s cabinet all his botanical collections, which, before
he engaged in this voyage, amounted to above 200 vo**
'lumes in folio; those made during the voyage, together
with his papers and herbal, were sent home in 32 cases,
containing an inestimable treasure of hitherto unknown
materials for natural history, and Mess^. Jussieu, D* Au*-
benton, and Thouin, were commissioned to examine and
arrange them. '
COMMINES, See COMINES.
COMMIRE (John), a Jesuit, was born March 25, 1625,
atAmboise, where his &lher kept a tennis-court. The
study of the ancients, joined to his natural abilities, imbued
bis writings with a considerable share of taste, beauty, pu*
rity, and eloquence. He also taught the belles lettre^,
and divinity, and died at Paris, December 25, 1702. There
•* ■ . "
f Eloge l»y lia lisnde.— »i>ict. Hijtt.
190 COM M.I K Ei
is extant a volume of his. Latin poems, and a cpUediim df
his posthumous works, 17 54, 2 vols. 12mo« The odes and
fables are particularly admired. He appears to have aie^
ditated a history of the ^ Wars of tl^ English/' but H
probably was never completed. ' ,
COMMpDIANUS, of Gaza, a Christian poet of the
third century, is the author of a Latin piece entitled ^^ In*
stitutiones/'. .It is composed, in .the fyrta of vi^rse, but
without either measure or quantity : . only, care is taken that
each line comprises a complete sense, afid.that it begins
with something like an acrostic. It lay a long .time ipi.
obscurity, until Rigaltius published it in bis edition of.
Cyprian, and Davies at the end of JMiniit^us.Fe}ix. It is
more valuable for the strain of piety which prevails througb«-
out the whole than for any poetical roerit, .Coiomodiantt»
appears to. have been originally a heathen, and ashe in^
forms u?, was converted by reading the scriptures, and
appears to have been also acquainted with secular authors.
Lardner has he^iito^'ed a chapter on this work, and on the
history of its author, in his ^* Credibility of the Gospel -^
Historv-"V
- COMNENA. See ANNA. /
COMTE (Lewis L&), a Jesuit of Bourdeaux^ was. sent,
to China, as. a missionary and. mathematician in 1683,. and
published a book in considerable reputation before that pf
Du Halde appeared, entitled ^^ Memoires sur la Chiue,^^^
2 vols.. 1.2 mo, to which was added a history of the eni-
peror\s edict ii) favour of Christianity. His ^^ Memoirs>*r
were censured by the faculty of. divinity at Paris, becauspr
of his uncommon prejudices in favour of the Chinese^^
whom he equalled to the Jews, and maintained that they
had worshipped the true God during two thousand years^'
and sacrificed to him in the most ample temple of the uni«
verse, while the rest of mankind ^^re in a state of cor<«
ruption. The parliament for the same reason ordered tbf
work to be burnt, by a decree passed in 1762. Le Comte.
died in 1729,» . . .^
COMPTE (Nicholas de), a French jmonk, a native of,
jParis, is known, as the author. or editor of different work»
which met with a favourable jeception. Among others he
published ^' The remarkable Travels of Peter delia Vallcu
» Moreriv— Diet; itist
* Larrfner's Works, vol. TIT.— Di>pin.#— Care^ vol. I. — DaviM'a Minutiuf Fe^
^x, 1712, Svo.^Fabric. Bibl. Lat. and J^fbl. Med. Lat. < Diet. Uht.
C O M P T E. 121
a RoiftAti gentieinan, trandated from the Italian/* 4 rob.
410 ; *< A new and interesting History of the kingdoms of
Ttmquin and Lao^** 4to, tratislatea from the lulian of
iifther Manni, in- 1666. In' the year preceding this, he
published the third volume of father Lewis Couion^s *^ His-
tory of the Jews." He died at Paris in 1 689. *
COM PTON (S^BNCEay, only son of William^ first earl
of Northampton, by Elizabeth, sole daughter and heiress '
of sir John Spencer, alderman of London, was born in 1601.
He wa» made knight of the bath in 1616, when Charles, '
doke of York ^afterwards Charles L) was created prinbe of
M^es ;' with whom he became a great &vourite. In 1622^'
he accompanied htm into Spain, in quality of master of hiy \
robes aiid wardrobe ; and had the honour to deliver all his
presents, which amounted, according to computation, to
tr4^000/. At the coronation of that prince he attended as
aiaster of the robes ; and in 1639, waited on his majesty .
in h'isiexpedition against the Scots. He was likewise one '
of those noblemen, who, in May 1641, resolved to defend'
the protestant religion, eitpressed in the doctrine of the:
church of England, and his majesty^s royal person, honotir,
and estate ; as also the power and privilege of parliaments^
and the lawful rights and liberties of the siibject. In J 642
he waited upon bis majesty at York, and after the king set
mp his standard at Nottingham, was one of the first who
appeared in arms for him. He did him signal services^
supporting his cause with great zeal in the coulities of
Warwick^ Stafford, and Northainptom. He was killed,
March 19^ 1643, in a battle fought on Hopton-heatb, near
Stafibrd; in which, though the enemy was routed, and
much of their artillery taken, yet bis lordsbip^s horse being
unfortunately shot under him, he was somehow left eh*
compassed by them. When he was on his feet, be killed
with his own hand the colonel of foot, who first camie up to
him; notwithstanding which, after his head^piece was struck
off with the butt-end of a musquet, they offered him quar-
ter, which he refused, saying, ^* that he scorned to accept
qua^rter from such base rogues and rebels as they were :'?
on this he was killed by a blow with an halbert on the
hinder part of his head, receiving at the san^e time another
deep wound in his face. The enemy refused to deliver ^p
his body to the youn; earl of Northamptoui unless be
\» . * ■ ' • ' * •
Moreria
122 C O HJ?lTO iJ.
would retuTDy ine&change for it^ all the ammunitioni, pri*
soTierB, and cannon be had Uken io the late battle : but
at last it was delivered, and buried in AUballowa church in
Derby, in the same vault with his relation .the old couor
teas of Shrewsbury. His lordship married Mary, daughter
of sir Francis Beaumont, knt* by whom be bad six sons
and two daughters. The sons are all said to have inherited
tb^ir ikther^s courage, loyalty, and virtue ; . particularly sir
William, the third son^ who had the command of a regi^
ment, and performed considerable service at the taking of
Bapbury, leading his men on to three attacks, during
which he had two horses shot under him. Upon the sur-
render of the town and .castle, be was made lieutenant'-
govemor under his &tber;^; aadon the 19tb of July, 1644^
when the parliament's forces came before tb^. town, be re*
turned answer to their summons ; *^ That he kept the cafitle
for his majesty, and as long as one man was left alive in it,.
willed. them not to. expect to have it delivered :*' also on
tbe 16th of September, they sending him another sum«>
mons, he made answer, ^' That he had formerly answered
them, and wondered they should send again." He was
so vigilant in his station, that be countermined the enemy
eleven times, and during the siege, which held thirteeu
weeks, never went into bed, but by his example so ^nir
mated the garrison, that though they had but two horses
left uneaten, they would. never suffer a summons to be
sent to them, after the preceding answer was delivered.
At length, his brother the earl of Northampton raised the
siege .on the 26 th of October, the very, day of the month,
on which both town and castle had been surrendered to the
king two years before. Sir William continued governor
of Banbury, and performed many signal services for the
king, till bis majesty left Oxford, and the whole kingdom
was submitting to the parliament ; «id then, on the 8 th of
May, 1646, surrendered upon honourable terms. In
1648, he was major*>general of the king's forces at Colche»-
ter, where he was so much taken notice of for his admi«>
Vable behaviour, that Oliver Cromwell called him the sober
young man, and the godly cavalier. At the restoration of
king Charles II. be was made one of the privy*coancil,
and nQaster*general< of the ordnance ; and died October 19,
1663, ilk the 3dth year of his age*. Ther^ 19 an epitaph
to his memory in the church of Compton^Winyate*^ Henry,
C O M FT O N: 123
theaixth and -youngest, who was afterwards biriio{> of Lonv
don, is the subject of the next article. '
COMPTON (Henry), an eminent prelate of the church •
of England, was the youngest son of the preceding Spen-
cer second :earl of Northampton, and bom at Compton in
1632. ' Though he was but ten years old when his father
was kiiled, yet he received an education suitable to his
quality ; and when he had gone through the grammar^'
schools, was entered a nobleman of QueenU college. Ox*
ford, in 1649. He continued there till about 1652 ; and
after having lived some little time with his mother, travelled
into foreign countries. Upon the restoration of Charles IL
he returned to England ; and became a comet in a regt-^
ment of horsey raised about that time for the king's guard i
but soon quitting that post, he dedicated himself to the
service of the church ; and accordingly went to Cambridge^
where he was created M. A. .Then entering into orders,
when about thirty years of age, and obtaining a* grant 6f
the next vacant canonry of Christ church in Oxford, hm
was admitted canon*commoner of that college, iA the be*
ginning of 1666, by the advice of Dr. John Fell, then dean
of 'the same. In April of the same year, he was incor-
porated M. A. at Oxford, and possessed at that time th^
rectory of Cottenham in Cambridgeshire, worth about
500/. per annum. In 1667, he was made master of St
Crosse's hospital near Winchester. On May 24, 1669, he
was installed canon of Christ church, in the room of Dr.
Heylin deceased ; and two days af^er took the degree of
B.I). to whigh, June 28 following, he added that of doctor.
He was preferred to the bishopric of Oxford in December'
1674; and about a year after was made dean of the chapri
royal, and was also translated to the see of London.
King Charles now caused him to be sworn onlf of his
privy council ; and coinmitted to his care the educating
of his two nieces, the princesses Mary and Anne, which
important trust he discharged to the nation^s satisfaction.
They were both confirnied by him upon January 23^
1676 ; and it is somewhat remarkable that they were
both' likewise married by him : the eldest, Mary, with
William prince of Orange, November 4, 1677 ; the
youngest, Anne, with George prince of Denmark, July 28^
1663. The attachment of these two princesses to the pro*-
» Biog. Brit,
124 C O M P T O N. ~
testani religion was owing, in a great measure, to their tu*
tor Compton ; which afterwards, when popery came to pre*
vail at the court of England, Xvas imputed to him as an un-
pardonable crime. In the mean time he indulged the
hopeless project of bringing dissenters to a sense of
the necessity of an union among protestants; to pro-^
mote which, he held several conferences with his own
clergy, the substance of which he published in July 1680^
He further hoped, that dissenters might be the more easily
recoi^iled to the church, if the judgment of foreign^di-
Tines should be produced against their needless separation :
and for that purpose he. wrote to M. le Moyne, professor
of divinity at Leyden, to M. de TAngle, one of the
preachers of the protestant, church at Charenton near Pa^
ris, and to M. Claude, another eminent French divinie.
Their answers are-published at the end of bishop Stiiling^-
fieet's ^^Unreasonableness of Separation,'' 1681, 4to ; alt
conrcurring in the vindication of the church of England from
any errors in its doctrine, or unlawful impositions in its
discipline, and therefore in condemning a separation from
it as needless and uncharitable. But popery was what the
bishop most strenuously oppo^ ; and while it was gain-
ing ground at the latter end of Charles the lid's reign,
under the influence of the duke of York, there was no
method he left untried to stop its progress. This zbal was
remembered and resented on the accession of James II. ;
when, to his honour, be was marked out as the first sacri-
fice to popish fury, being immediately dismissed from the
council-table; and on December 16, 1685, from being
dean of the royal chapel. Means were also devised to
entrsip him into some measure which might ai&ct t^ts office
as bishop of London, nor could this be difficult in the case
of a man so firm and consctentiousr The following is jai
striking instance of the intentions of the court to overturn
the national church. Dr. John Sharp, rector of St. Giles's
in the Fields, afterwards archbishop of York, having in
some of his sermons vindicated the doctrine of the church
of England against popery ; the king sent a letter, dated
June 14, r686, to bishop Compton, *^ requiring and com^
manding him forthwith to suspend Dr. Sharp. from further
preaching in any parish church or chapel within his dio-
cese, until he had given the king satisfaction." In order
to understand how Sharp had onended the king, it mus(
be remembered, that kmg Jam«s bad caused the direction^
C O M i> T O N. 125
concerning preachers/ published in 1662^ tone now re«
printed ; and reinforced theni by tt letter directed to the
archbishops of Canterbury and Yofk^ given at Whitehall,
March 5, 1686, to prohibit the preaching upon controver-
sial points; that was, in effect, to forbid the preaching
against popeiy, which Sharp had done. The bishop re-
fusing to suspend Dr. Sharp, because, as he truly alleged,
he could not do it according to law, was cited to appear,
August 9, before the new ecclesiastical commission : when
he was charged with not haying observed his majesty^s
cooiinahd in the case of Sharp, whom he was ordered to
suspend. The bishop, after expressing some surprise,
hiunbly begged a copy- of the commission, and a copy of
bis" charge; but was answered by chancellor JeflFeries,
"That he should neither have a copy of, nor see, the com-
mission : neither, would they give him a copy of the
charge.'' His lordship then desired time to advise with
counsel; and time was given him to the 1 6th, and after-
wards to the 31st of August. Then his lordship offered his
plea to their jurisdiction: which being overruled, he pro-
tested to his right in that or any other plea that might be
made for his advantage ; and observed, *^ that as a bishop
be had a right, by the most authentic and universal eccle*
siastical laws, to be tried before his metropolitan, preqe-
dently to any other court whatsoever/* But the eccle-
siaistical commissioners would not upon any account suffer
their jurisdiction to be called in question; and therefore,
in spite of. all that his lordship or his counsel could- allege,
he was suspended on Sept. 6 following, for his disobe-
idietnce^ from the function and execution of his episcopal
pffice, gnd from all episcopal and other ecclesiastical juris-
diction, during his n^^jesty's pleasure ; and the bishops of
Durham, Rochester, and Peterborough, were appointed
commissioners to exercise ecclesiastical jurisdiction within
the diocese of London. But the court did not think fit to
meddle with his revenues. ^ Ft)r the lawyers had settled
that benefices were of the n^ure of freeholds; therefore, if
the sentence had gone to the temporalities, the bishop
wQuld have had the oiatter tried over again in the king's
beochi where he was likely to find justice.
. While this matter was in dependence, the princess of
Orange thought it became her to interpose in the bishop's
favour ; and wrote to the king, earnestly begging him to
he gentle to' the bishop, who she could hot think would
li$
e 0 M p T a N.
offend willingly. She also wrote to the h\$h^, e^preiteiog
the great pbare.^be took in x)cke trouble he was fallen into ;
as did al^o tbe- prince. The. king wrote an answer to the
princess, r^{)^cting severely on the /bishops npt wiibout
some sharpness on^her for meddling in such. matters*. The
bishop in the mean time acquiesced in his {sentence ; but
being suspended only as a bishop, aikl remaining still whole
in his other capacities^ he made another stand against the
king, as one of tlie governors of the Charter*bouse, in re-
jfosing to admit one Andrew Popbam, a pa|>ist^ : into the
first pensioner's place in that hospitah While be was tfany
sequestered from his episcopal office, he applied himself to
the improvement of his garden at Fulham ; and having a
great genius for botany, enriched it with a variety of ca-
rious plants, domestic and exotic^. His suspension^ how«^
ever, was so flagrant a piece ojf arbitrary power, thaJt the
prince of Orange, in hb 46clarati.on, ceuld not omit
taking notice of it; and w)ien there was an alaroi of his
highnesses coming over, the court was willing to make the
bishop reparation, by restoring him, as they did on Sep.t»
523, 1688, to his episcopal function. But he made, no haste
to resume his charge, and to thank the king for bis restora*
tion; which made some conjecture, and, as appeared after*
weirds with good reason, that hf. bad no mind tp be restored in
that n^anner, and that he knew well enough what. bad be^n
doing in Holland* On Oct. 3, 1688, however, he; waited
upon king James, .with the archbishop of Canterbary, and
seven other bishops, when they suggested to.hi^ majesty
such advice as they thought conducive to his interest, but
this had no effect. The first part the bishop acted in the
revolution, which immediately ensued, was the convey ing^
jointly with tbe earl of^ Dorset, the pdncess Anne:of Den«*
mark safe from London to Nottingnam ; lest she^ in the
present confusion of affairs, might have been sent away into
France, or put under restraint, because the prince, her
consort, had left king James, and was gone over to ttie
prince of Orange.
* We learn from Mr. Ray and PIu*
kenet, that he joined to his taste for
gardening, a real and setentific knovr-,
ledge of plants; an attainment not
usual among the great in those days.
He collected a greater variety of green-
house rarities, and planted a greater
variety of hardy exotic trees aud shrubs,
than had been seen ii) any garden be-
fore in England. This repository was
ever open to the Inspection of the cu-
rious, and- scientific ; and we find ft&y.
Petiver, and Plukeoet, in numerous
instances, acknowledging the assist-
-ance they received from thefreer com-
munication of rare and Qew plants i>iit
of the garden at Fulbam. Pultenfy's
Sketches:
CO MPT ON. U7
:. Afeliia^etiirn : to Ltuftdoii, he discovered hid ieai 4br tbe
revolutioii) and first set his baud to the associatioii begim
at Exeter* .He waited oo ibe prince. of Orangey Dec. dl,
at tbe head of bis dergy ; and, in their nasies aiid bis^Owb,
ibanked hit bigbnessfor his very great and bazaiklotts un-
dertakttig f&c their dehverar^ce, and the preservation of
ihe prolestant religioiv witb the ancient laws aod liberti^
of tbia aation. He gave bis royal highness the sacrament,
Dec. 30 ; and upon Jan. 29 following, when the house of
lords, in a grand comnuttee, debated tbe important qaes»
tion, ^' Whether the throne, being vacant, ought to be
filled by a regent or a king ?*' Compton was one of' the
two bishops, sir Jonathan Trelawny biriiop of Bristol being
the other, wbo made the majority for filling up tbe throne
•by a. king. On February 14, he was again appointed of
tbe privy-council, and mad^ dean of the royal chapel;
from both which places king James had removed. him : and
-was. afterwards chosen by king William, to perform the
ceremony of his and queen Mary's coronation, upon April
11, 1689. The same year he was constituted .one .of the
commissioners for revising the liturgy, in which be labour-
ed with much zeal to reconcile the dissenters to tbe
church; and also in the. convocation, that m^t Nev« 2t,
1689, of which he was president. But tbe intended com-
prehension met with insuperable difficulties, the 'majority
of the lower house being resolved not- to enter into any
terms of accommodation with tbe dissenters ; and his lodU
^hip^s not complying so fan as the dissenters liked, is ^p^
posed to have beea the reason of Btnrnet's calling him
.^^ a weak man, wilful, and ^rangely wedded to a party .^
This however must seem extraordinary to those who con-
sider, that those who are usually called high churctuBen
have spoken very coolly of him ever since, on thatvecy
account : and that even his opposing, as he did, the prose^
cution against Sacheverell in 1710, declaring him not
guilty, and also pcotesttng against several steps taken Ib
that affair, has not been sufficient to reconcile them to his
complying so far with the dissenters as he did. The fact
appears to have been that the bishop endeavoured to act
with,. moderation, for which no allowance is made in times
of violent party-spirit.
Kine William having soon after named commissioners
of trade ^. and plantations, his. lordship 'was made one of
them, and tbe bishop of. London^ £or the lime being,, is
l£8 C O M P T O N,
always to be oi)e, in virtue of his being superintendent of
mil the ciiurches in the plantations. In the beginning of
IMO-i) at his own charge, be attended king William to
the famous congress at the Hague, where the grand alliance
, against France was concluded. But notwithstanding the
zealous part he acted in th^ revolution, and his subsequent
services, no sooner was the storm over, but jealousies were
infused, and calumnies dispersed, to supplant and under->
mine him ; insomuch, that though the metropolitan see of
Canterbury was twice vacant in that reign, yet he still con-
tinued bishop of London*. However, he went on consist*
ently, and like himself, despising all other rewards but
the quiet and the applause of his own conscience, and the •
high esteem and intimacy of queen Mary, which he pre*
served to her dying. day. At the accession of queen Anne
to the throne, he seemed to stand fairest for the royal fla-
vour.; and though many things were said to disparage him
at court, yet nothing could discourage him from paying
bis duty and attendance there. About the beginning of
May 1702, he was sworn of her majesty's privy-council.
The same year, he was put in the commission for the union
of: England and Scotland, but was left but in the new com-
mission isslied out in April 1706. Two years before, be
very much promoted the ^' Act for making effectual her
majesty's intention for the augmentation of the mainte-
nance of the poor clergy, by enabling her majesty to grant
the revenues of the first fruits and tenths.'^
He maintained all along a brotherly correspondence
with the foreign pirotestant churches, and endeavoured tp
promoteri% them a good opinioii of the church of England,
and her moderation towards them ; as appears, not only by
his application to le Moyne, Claude, sijpd de 1* Angle before .
'mentioned, but also from letters, afterwards printed at Ox- •
ford, which passed between his lordship and the university ,
of Geneva, in 1706. It was this spirit of moderation vWhic.^!
rendered bishq> Compton less popular with (he cler^y^^
and probably, as we have already noticed^ hindered Jhijs,
advancement to Canterbury. Towards the close : of b^f^ ;;
life^ he was afflicted with the stone and g^ut ; which,^turQ* •,
ing at length to a complication of distempers, pi|t;an en4 .^
to it at Fulham, July 7, 1713, at the age of 81. His bo4^
^ The (wo racancies. were itipiilied and hy Tenifon, who if snppo^ to
by illfotson, a man unquestionably of have bete mere of a courtier, btit wit **
supcirior lilmis mi4 fiitte w<Qogipi»B, liUwift s mSf t AettpriH ctoM^*' - «
CO M P T O N* 129.
Ms iotKred il&e IStb of the same inonth in the churoh^
yard of Fulbam, according to bis particular directioD : for
lie used to say, that ^ the church is for the livingi and the
cliiarcb-yard for the dead.^' Qii the 2€th ** A sermon on
the occasion of his much-lamented death/' was preached
at St l^aui's, before the mayor and aldermen of London^
liy Dr. Thomas Goocb, lately onfe of his domestic chaplains^
•then fellc^l^, and, afierwards master, of Caius* college in
Cambridge, and' bishop, first of Norwich, then of El}^.
Over his grave, was erected an handsome tomb, surrounded
.with iron rails, banring only this short inscription '^ '< IL
Lond. BT MH EK TA rTATPn. mdccxiii/' That is,
*' Henry Londoti. Save in the cross. 1713.'*
Among the many excellent features of his character
given by Dr. Gooch, his munificence stands conspicuous.
*^ He disposed of money to every one who could make out
(and it was very easy to make that out to him) that he was
a projper object of charity. He ansl^ered literally the
apostle's character, poor enough himself, yet making many
rich. He had divers ancient people, men and women,
whom he supported by constant annual pensions ; and se-
veral children at school, at his own cost and charge, besides
those educated from children, and brbnght up to the unt*
vermies, to die sea, dr to trades, Ac. The poor of his
parish were always attending' his gate for their dote, and
>)^ the remains of his constant hospitable table, which was
always furnished, and free to t|ieie whom respect or busi-i'
ness drew to him. His hall was frequented in the morn-
ing with petitioners of all sorts. More particularly, he
spared no cost nor pains lo serve the church and clergy.
He bought maiiy advowsons out of lay-hands. He gave
great sums for the rebuilding of churches, awd greater still
for th^ bu3»ng in impropriations, and settling them on the
poor vicars. There was-tio poor honest clerg3rman, or his
widow, in want^ but had his benevolence when applied for:
Botany in the reformed churches abroad, to whom he was
not a liberal patrou, steward, and perpetual solicitor for.
The French refugees drank deep of his bounty for many
vears; so did the Irish in their day of affiiction ; and like-
Vite the S<^0tch episcopal party,*' when ejected from their
IHiags- at the revl)lutiLpn. It n^y truly be said, that by
'his death the church lost an excellent bishop ; the kingdom
a ooasisteut .;and able statesman ; the jprotestant religioni
at home and-abroad^ an ornament and refuge;-, andtj^q^
VouX. K
130 G O M P T O N.
♦ • . . , ■ •
whole Christian worlds an eminent esample of virtae and.
piety. ,
His works are: 1. "A translation from, the Italian, of
the Life of Donna Olympia Maldachini, who governed the
church during the time of Innocent X. which was from the .
year 1644 to 1655/' London, 1667. 2. " A . translation
from the French, of- the Jesuits' intrigues ; witb the pri-
vate instructions of that society to their emissaries," 1669*
3. " A treatise of the Holv CommunionV 1677. 4. " A .
Letter to the Clergy of the diocese of London^ concerning
Baptism, the Lord's Supper, Catechising, . dated April 25^
1679." 5. "A second letter concerning: the Half-conv-
munion, Prayers in an unknown tongue, Prayers to Saints,
July 6, 1680." 6. " A third letter, on Confirmation, and
Visitation of the Sick, .1682." 7. " A fourth letter, upon
tlie 54th Canon," April 6, 1683. 8. "A fifth letter, upon
the 118th Canon, March 19, 1684." 9. "A sixth letter,
upon the J3th.C!inon, April 18, 1685." They were all
reprinted together in 1686, 12mo, under the titlie.of " Epis*
copalia, or. Letters of the right reverend. father in God,
Henry lord Hshop of London, to the Clergy of his Dio-
cese." There is also, 10. " A Letter of* his to a Clergy-
man in his Diocese, corfcerning Non resistance:" written
soon after the revolution, and inserted in the Memoirs of
the life of Mr. John Kettlewell.*
CON ANT (Dr. John), a learned English divine, w^s
born Oct. 18, 1603, at Yeatenton in Devonshire. He was
educated in classical learning at private schools, and, in
\^^^, sent to Exeter college in Oxford. He soon distin-
guished himself for uncommon parts and learning; by-
means of which he grew highly in fatour with Dr. John
Prideaux, then rector of Exeter college, and king's pro-
fessor in divinity, who, according to the fs^hion of wit in
those times, used to say of him, " Con^Tz^i nihil est diffi-
cile." He took his degrees regularly; and, July 1633,
was chosen feUow .of his college, in which be, became an
* In Percy's Relics we are told that the Latin translation of Chevy Chase in
Bryden^s Miscellanies, by Mr. Henry Bold of New college, Oxford, was undeit.
taken at the command of Dr. Compton, who, Dr« Percy adds, ttiought it oo
derogation to his episcopal character, to avour a fondness for this excellent old
ballad. The life of Dr. Compton ^as first published without a name in an Bvo
pamphlet, and without a date, but probably soon after his death. Frftm this
the account in the Biog. Brit, is eyideatly taken,, but without acknowledgment.
•—See also Burnet's Own Times, who seems much prejudiced againxi Comptoo.
— ^Birch's Tillotson.— Ath. Ox. Yol. Il.—Nichols's Atterbury, tot. II. p.461.—
Salmoi\*s Lives of t,he Bishop;^. — Dr. Cockbiim published a FuDeral Seroioo for
Bishop Compton, but there is not much in it.
C O N A N T. 131
eminent tutor. Upon the Ibreaking out of the civil war^'
he judged it convenient to leave the university in 1642.
He retired first to Lymington, a living of his unclq^s in
Somersetshire; v^here, his uncle being fled, and he in
orders, he officiated as long as he could continue there
with safety. While he was at Lymington, he was consti-
tuted by the parliament one of the assembly of divines ;
but it is said that he never sat among them, or at least
very seldom, since it is certain that he never took the co«
venant. He afterwards followed his uncle to London, and .
for some time assisted him in the church of St. Botolph
Aldgate. He then became a domestic chaplain to lord
Chandos, in whose family he lived at Harefield. He is
said to have sought this situation, for the sake of keeping
himself as clear from all engagements and difficulties as
the nature and fickle condition of those times would per--
mit Upon the same motive he resigned his fellowship of
Exeter college, Sept. 27,. 1647 ; but, June 7, 1649, was
unanimously chosen rector of it by the fellows, without
any application of his own ; and Wood allows that undel:
his care it flourished more than any other college.
In a very short time, however, after being thus settled,
he was in great danger of being driven out of all public
employment again, by the parliament's enjoining what was
called the engagement, which he did not take within the
time prescribed. He had a fortnight given him. to consider
' further of it ; at the end of which he submitted, but under
a declaration^ subscribed at the same time with the en*
gagement, which in fact enervated that instrument entirely.
The terms of the engagement were ; " You shall promise to
be true and faithful to the commonwealth of England^ as
it is now established without king or house of lords." Co-
nant's declaration befbre the commissioners, when he took
the engagement, was in this form and manner : ^' Being
required to subscribe, I humbly premise, first, that I be
not hereby understood to approve of what hath been don6
in order unto, or under this present government, or the
government itself*: nor will I be thought to condemn it;
they being things above my reach, and I not knowing the
grounds of the proceedings. Secondly, that I do not bind
myself to do any thing contrary to the word of God.
Thirdly, that I do not so hereby bind myself, but that, if ,
God shall remarkably call ine to submit to any other
power, I may be at liberty to obey that call, notwithstand-
K 2
m „ d 6 1* A N t. •
Ing tbe prfisent ^bga'gemeht. Fdurthlyy in this sens^y tnd
in this sense onl]^, I do promise to be true and faithful t6
the preseht gbviemmenty as it is now established withoitt
king or house of lords.'* *
This difficulty being got orer^ he went on to disehar^
bis office of rector of Exeter college with great approba*
tion. In 1 652 he received priest's orders at Satisbory, and,
in Dec, 1654, became divinity-professor of the university
of Oxford. In 1657 he accepted the impropriate rectory
bf Abergely near St. Atoph in Denbighshire, as some satis-
faction for th6 benefices formerly annexed to the divinity
chair, which he never enjoyed ; but knowing it to have
belonged to the bishopric of St. Asaph, he immediately
quitted it, upon the re-estdiilisbment of episcopacy. Oct.
19, 1657, he was admitted vice-chancellor of the univer-
sity; which high drgnity he held till August 5, 1660*.
Burine his office he was very instrumental in procuring Mr.
Seldeirs large and Taluable collection of books for the pub-
lic library; and was the principal misans of defeating a
design, to which the protector Oliver gave his consent, of
erecting a kind of university at Durham. He was yet more
serviceable in preventing some persons in the university
from sacrificing their rights and privileges, by a petition to
the protector Richard's parliament. Upon the restoration of
Charles 11. Dr. Conaiit, as vice-chancellor of Oxford, came
Up to London, attended by the proctors and many of the prin-
tipals ; and was introduced to the king, to whom he made a
I..atin speech, and presented a book of verses written by
the members of the university. March 25, 1661, the
king issued a commissibii for the review of the book of
Common-prayer, in which Conant was one of the com-
missioners, and assisted at the Savoy conferences: but
after this, upon the passing />of the act of uniformity, not
thinking it right to conform, he suffered himself to be de-
prived of his preferments; and accordingly his tectory of
Exeter college was pronounced vacant, Sept. 1, 166^.
At length, after eight years* serious /leliberation upoin
tihe nature and lawfulness of conformity, his conscience
was satisfied, and he resolved to comply in all parts;
and in particular with that about which: he had probably
most scruple, the being re-ordained. To this, however, he
consented, and the ceremony, was performed Sept.. 28,
1 670, by Reynolds bishop of Norwich ; whose daughter
be had married in August 1651, and by whom he had six
eONANT. iss
spos u4 M v^ny ^ugluMeri Arifeiiimti nwre o&tod
Iiioi imioediately^ and the mqiq year he was elected naiois-
tef of St Mary Aldermanbury, irt London ; but, having
$pent some year^ in th^ town of Northampton, where b^
was much beloved, he chose rather to accept the invitation
of his neighbours to remain among them { and Dr. Simon
Ford, who was then minister of AlUsainu in Northampton,
going to St. Mary^s Alderinanbury, he was nominated to
succeed him. On Sept 2;0, 1675, he had the mortification
to see the greatest part of his parish, together with bin
church, burnt to the ground, though proyidentially bis
own house escaped. In 1676, the archdeaconry of Nor-
wich becoming vacant, the bishop offered him that pre*
ferment, with this singular compliment, ^* I do not expect
thanks from you, but I wiU be very thankful to you, if you
will accept of it*^ He accepted it after some deliberation,
and discharged the office worthily, as long as health per-
mitted him. Dec. 3, 1681, he was installed a prebendary
in the church of Worcester. The earl of Radnor, an old
friend and contemporary of b^s at Exeter college, asked it
for him from Charles II. in these terms : ** Sir, I come to
beg a preferment of you for a very deserving person, who
never sought any thing for himself:'* and upon oaroing
him, the king very kindly consented. In 1686, after his
eyes bad been for some time weak, he lost his sight en-
tirely: but he did not die till March 12, 1693, when he
, was in his 86th year. He was buried in bis own parish
church of All -saints in Northaippton, where a monument was
• jBrected over him by his widow, with a suitable inscription.
He was a man of great piety, and of solid and extensive
^earning;, and so very modesty it is said, that though he
understood most of the Oriental languages, and was par-
ticularly versed in the Syriac, yet few people knew it.
There have been published six volumes of his sermons :
the first in 16.93, and dedicated by himself to the inhabi*
t9.nU of Northampton ; the second, after his death, in 1 697,
^y John bishop of Chichester; the third in 1698, the
fourth in 1703, the fifth -in 1708, by the same editor; the
sixth in 1722, by Digby Cotes, M. A. principal of Magdalen-
hall in Oxford. Many more of his sermons and visitation
.charges are still in the hands of his descendants, as is a
life of him written by his son John Conant, LL. D. alsp in
manuscript, but communicated to the editors of the first
edition of the Biog. Britannica. For want of attention to
134 C O N A N T.
this account, which must undoubtedly bje deemed authen-
tic, Mr/ Palmer, in his "Nonconformists' Memorial," (a
new edition, with continuations of Calamy*s work),- has in-
troduced him for the purpose of giving some extracts from
an unpublished MS. relative to the oppressions he suffered
from the bishop of Bath and Wells, all which story evi-
dently belongs to his uncle John Conant^ B. D* and rector
of Lymington. *
CONCA (Sebastian), a very popular artist, was born
at Gaeta in 1676. He studied under Solimene, and by
persevering practice soon became an able machinist. At
little less than forty, the desire of seeing Rome prompted
him to visit that city, where he became once more a stu-
dent, and spent five years in drawing after the antique and
the masters of design : but his hand, debauched by man-
ner, refused to obey his mind, till wearied by hopeless fa-
tigue, he followed the advice of the sculptor le Gros, and
returned to his former practice, though not without con-
siderable improvements, and nearer to Pietro da Cortona
than his master. . He had fertile brains, a rapid pencil, and
a colour which at first sight fascinated* every eye by its
splendor, contrast, and the delicacy of its fiesh tints. His
dispatch was equal to his employment, and there is scarcely
a collection of any consequence without its Conca. He
was courted by sovereigns and princes, and pope Clement
XI. made him a cavaliere at. a full assembly of the acade-
micians of St. Luke. He died, far advanced in agej in
1764. Sir Robert Strange, in whose possession was a
*^ Virgin and Chil,d»" by ^Conca, observes that, with all
his defects, be was a great painter, and must be regarded
as one of the last efforts which this expiring art made in
Italy .«
CONCANEN (Matthew), a miscellaneous writer of
some note in his day, was born in Ireland, and bred to the
law, in which we da not find that he ever made any great
figure. From thence he came over to London, in com-
pany with a Mr. Stirling, a dramatic poet of little note, to
seek his fortune; and finding nv:thing so profitable, and
so likely to recommend him to public notice, a&^ political
writing, he soon commenced an advocate for the govern-
ment. There goes a story of hi^^ however, but we will
1 3iog. Brit. — Ath. Ox. vol. II. — Prince's Wor^hicsofDeYOn.^-NichoVs Lei-
cestershire.— Gent. Mag. vol. LXXV.
) Piik(p$toq.— Sir R. Strange's Cutalogae.
C ON C A N E N. 135
hope it is not a true one, that he and his fellow- traveller,
^ho was embarked in the same adventure, for the sake of
making their trade more profitable, resolved to divide .their
interests ; the one to oppose, the other to defend the mi^
nistry. Upon which they determined the side each was to
espouse by lots, or, according to Mr. Reed's account, by
tossing up a halfpenny, when it fell to Concanen's part to
defend the ministry. Stirling afterwards went into orders^
and became a clergyman in Maryland. Concanen was for
some time concerned in the ** British" and " London
Journals,'' and in a paper called ^* The Speculatist," which
last was published in 1730, 8vo. In these he. took occa-
sion to abuse not only lord Bolingbroke, who was- natu-
rally the object of it, but also Pope; by which he pro-
cured a place in the Dunciad. In a pan>phlet called ^^ A
Supplement to the Profound," he dealt yery unfairly by
Pope, as. Pope's commentator informs us, in not only fre-
quently imputing to him Broome's verses (for which, says
he, he might seem in some degree accountable, having
corrected what that gentleman did), but those of the dj>ike
of Buckingham and others. His wit and literary abilities,
however, recommended . him to the favour of the duke of
Newcastle, through whose interest he obtained the post of
attorney-general of the island of Jamaica in 1732, which
office he hiled with the utmost integrity and honour, and
to the perfect satisfaction of the inhabitants, for near
seventeen years; .when, having acquired an ample fortune,
he was desirous of passing the close of his life in his native
country; with which intention he quitted Jamaica^ and
came to London, proposing to pass some little time there
before he went to settle entirely in Ireland. But the dif-
ference of climate between that metropolis and the place
he had so long been accustomed to, had such an effect
on his constitution, that he fell into a consumption, of
which he died Jan. 22, 1749, a few weeks after his arrival
in London. His original poems, though siiort, have con-
siderable merit; but much cannot be i^aid of his play, en-
titled " Wexford Wells."- He was also concerned with Mr^
Roome and other gentlemen in altering Richard Broome's
^'^Jovial Crew" into a ballad opera, in which shape it is
now frequently perfornved. Concanen has several songs in
" The Musical Miscellany, 1729," 6 vols. But a memo-
rable letter addressed to him by Dr. Warburton will per-
haps be remembered longer than any writing of his own
IW C ON O A M BN.^
jmu Thii tetter, which Mf. Ma1ois9 INt piri^iisbed (iti Iff 9
Supplement to Shatepeare, vol. I. p. 2^22), ^bews that^ht
1726, Warburton, then an attorney at Newark, was inti*'
mate with Concanen, and an assoeiate in the stfaeks made
en Pope's &me and talents. In 1724, Concanen publmhed
a volume of ^* Miscellaneous Poems, original and trans*
lated/' by himself and others.^
CONCINA (Daniel), u very celebrated Dominican <ii-
Tine, of the congregation of St. James Salomoni, wa» born
about 1686 in Friiili, on one of the estates of the signiots
Savoriani, noble Venetians. He entered the Dominiean
order 1 70S, preached, with great applause, in the prin*
eipal towns of Italy, gained the esteem of pope Cle*
ment XII. and Benedict XIV. and wrote incessantly agaiiisli
the opinions of the relaxed casuists. He died February 21,
1756, at Venice, aged 69i His works are numerous, both
in Latin and Italian : the latter are : ^^ The Lent of the
litigious ecclesiastical Courts,'^ Venice, 1739, 4to; "The
Church discipline respecting the fast of Lent,*' &e. Ve-
nice, 1742, 4to; " Dissertations theological, moral, and
critical, on the history of ptt>bability and rigourism," tic.
Venice^ 1743) 2 toIs. 4to, and two pieces in defence of this
work, 4to; an " Explanation .of the four paradoxes which
ar<$ in vogue in our age^'* Lucca, 1746, 4to. Thiswdrk
|ias been translated into French, t2mo. <^ The dogma of
the Roman Church respecting Usury,'* Naples, 1746, 4td;
an ^^ Historical Memoir on the use of chocolate upon fast
days,** Venice," 174S; a " Treatise t»n revealed Religion^
against atheists, deists, materialists, and indifferents,*' Ve*
nice, 1 754, «4to; ^instructions f6r confessors and peni-
tents," Venice^ 1753, 4to. The following are written id
Latin: three volumes upon Usury, 4to; three others on
^* Mopastic discipline and poverty ;*' '^ Nine letters on re*
laxed n^orality." But the most valuable of all his works is
his> ^^ Theologia Christiana dogmatico-moralis," Roihe,
1746, 12 vols. 4to.'
CONDAMINE (CRAaiu Makie D£ la), chevalier de
St La:sare, member of a great number of academies, and
^ celebrated traveller, was born at Paris in 1701. He be^
gan his journey to the east very young; and after haviftg
jooasted along the ah^res of Africa and Asia in the Medilier'*
1 Bi9ff. praoD.V^ibber'i pyef.-^Warburtov^c letters, 4to» p 159| 1^— *
N^chets*s Bowyer. — Keed's M3 Kptes oa« copy of |bc Speculatist*
• Mxif«n.?— Diet, Uist •'
CO NO A H f ICE. IS?
raaeiHi, he itas ehoaen^ ta 179^, to ^eompBi^ St. Godtn
10 Peru, for the purpose of detomiatog the figure of the
earth at the equator. The diffieukies and dangers he sier*
mouated in tins expodition^ ate aloMMt iacredtUe ; aad at
oae tioiM be had nearly perished by the impradence of one
of his companions, M. Seniergues, whose arrogance bad
so mnch irritated the inhabitants df New Caen^a, that they
sose tumultiioiisiy against the traveUera ; but, fortunately
for the rest^ tlie offender was the only victim. On bis re-
turn home, la Condamine Tisited Borne, where pope Be-
oediet XIV. made hima present of his portrait, and granted
him a dispensation to marry one of his nieces, which he
accordingly did, at the age of fifty- fire. By his grtat
equanimity of temper, and his liirely and amiable <Uspbsi*
tion, he was the delight of all that knew him* Such was
his gaiety or thoughtlessness, that two days before h» death,
he made a couplet on the surgical operation that carried
him to the grave ; and, after having recited this couplet to
afriead that came to see him, *' You must now leave me,"
added he, ^ 1 hafe two letters to wirite to Spain ; probid>ly,
by next post it will be too late.^' La Condamine bad the •
art of pleasing the learned by the concern be shewed in
advancing their interests,- and the ignorant by the talent of
persuading them that they understood what be said« Even
the men of fiasbion sought his company^ as be was full of
anecdotes and singular observations, adapted to amuse their
frivolous curiosity. He was, however, himself apt to lay
too much stress, on trifles ; and bis inquisitiveness, as is often
the case with travellers, betrayed him into imprudenciea.
£ager after fame, he loved to multiply his correspondences
and intercourse ; and there were few men of any note #ith
whom he had not/intimacies or disputes, and scarcely^ any
journal in which he did not write* Replying to every cri*
tic, and flattered with every species of praise, he despised
no opinion of faiin, though given by the most contemptible
scribbler. Such, at least, is the picture of him, drawn by
the marquis de Condorcet in bis teloge. Among his most
ingenious and valuable pieces are the following : 1 • '* Dis-^
tano^ Off the tropics,? London, i744. 2. *> Extract of eb-:
servotions made on a voyage to the river of €he Amasons,'*
174& 8;^' Brief rdation of a voyage to the interior of
Souths America,'* Svo. 1745. 4. <* Journal of the voyage
made by order of the king to the equator;, with t;be sup-
plement/' 2 vols. 4tb. 1751, 1752, 5. *< On the Inocqla-
138 C O N D A M I N E.
tion of the Small-pox,*' 12mo, 1754. 6. "A letter on Edu-
cation,'* 8vo. ' 7. " A second paper on the Inoculation of
the Small pox,'* 1139. 8. " Travels through Italy," 1762,
I2mo. These last three were translated and published
here. 9. " Measure of the three first degrees of the me^i
ridian in the southern hemisphere," 1751, 4to. The style
of the different works of la Condamine is simple and negli-
gent; but it is strewed* with agreeable and lively strokes
that secure to him readers. Poetry was also one of the ta«*
lents of our ingenious academician ; his productions of this
sort were, " Vers de soci6t6," of the humorous kind, * and
pieces of a loftier style, as the Dispute for the armour of
Achilles and others, translated from the Latin poets ; the
Epistle from an old man, &c. He died the 4th 'of Fe^
bruary 1774, in consequence of an operation for the cure
of a hernia, with which he had been afBicted. ^
CONDER (John), D. D. a dissenting divine, was born
at Wimple, in Cambridgeshire, June 3, 1714, and edu-
cated in London under Dr. Kidgley, an eminent dissenting
minister. He was ordained in 1738, and his first settle-
ment was at Cambridge, where he had a considerable con*
gregation for about sixteen years ; but having written an
essay on the importance of the ministerial character in the
independent line, he was in 1755 placed at the head of
the academy for preparing young men for the ministry,
then situated at Mile End, hut since removed to Hommer*
ton. In 1759 he was -chosen one of the preachers of the
** Merchants' lecture" at Pinner's Hall, and in May 1760
assistant to Mr. Hall in the pastoral office in the meeting
on the pavement near Moorfields, whom he succeeded in
1763, and where he continued to officiate till the time of
his death. May 30, 1781, aged 67. Besides the essay
above mentioned, he. printed several sermons on public
occasions, particularly funerals and ordinations.^
CONDILLAC (Stephen-Bonnot de), of the French
academy and that of Berlin, abb^ of Mureaux, preceptor
of the infant don Ferdinand duke of Parma, was born at
Grenoble about the year 1715, and died of a putrid fever
at his estate of Flux near Baugenci, the 2d of August 1780.
Strong sense, sound judgment, a clear and profound know-
ledge of metaphysics, a well chosen and extensive reading,
a sedate character, manners grave without austerity, a style
* Elopes, by Condorcet, &o. vol. I. — Diet, Hiet.
' Middletou's Biog. Evangelica, vol. lY.
C O N D I L L AC. 139
rather sententious, a greater fecility in writing than in
speaking, more philosophy than sensibility and imagination ;.
form, according to the opinion of his countrymen, the
principal features in the portrait of the abbe de Condillac.
A collection in 3 vols. 12mo, under the title of his Works,
contains bis essay on the origin of human sciences, his
treatise of sensations, his treatise of systems ; all perform*
ances replete with striking and novel ideas, advanced
with boldness, and in which the modern philosophic style
seems perfectly natural to the author. His ^' Course of
Study," 1776, 16 vols. 12mo, composed for the instriic*
tion of his illustrious pupil, is esteemed the best of bis
works. He also wrote *^ Commerce and Government con-
sidered in their mutual relations," 12mo, a book which
has been decried by anti-(9conomists, and it is allowed by
his admirers that it might have been as well if the author
bad not laid down certain systems on the commerce
of grain ; that he had given his '. principles an air less
profound and abstracted, and that on those matters that
are of moment to all men, he had written for the per-
usal of all men. It is observed in some of the abb6 Con-
dillac^s works, that he had a high opinion of his own merit,
and thought it his 'duty not to conceal it. He has lilso
been more justly censured for having, in his treatise of
^^ Sensations," established principles from which the ma-
terialists have drawn pernicious conclusions ; and that in
bis course of study, he has, like an incompetent judge,
condemned several flights of Boileau, by submitting poetry,
which in its very nature is free, irregular, and bold, to the
rules of geometry. * His works we may suppose are stifl in
favour in France, as a complete edition was printed in
1798, in 25 vols. 8vo.*
CONDIVI (AscANio), of Ripa Transona, the most'ob-
scure of modern artists, though a biographer of some cele«
brity, owes that and a place here to his connexion with
Michael Angelo,, whose life he published in 1553. If we
believe Vasari, his imbecility was at least equal to his assi-
duity in study and desire of excelling, which were ex-
treme. Np work of his exists in painting or in sculpture.
Hence Gori, the modern editor of his book, is at a loss to
decide on his claim to either, though from the' qualities of
ttie writer, and the familiarity of M* Angelo, he surmises
1 Diet. HifU
140 CONDI VI.
Condtvi must have had merit as an artist From the
last no conclusion can be formed ; the attachment of M.
Angela, seldom founded in congeniality, was the attach-
ment of the strong to the weak, it was protection ; it eK«
^nded to Anto'iio Mini of Florence, another obscure scholar
of his, to Giuliano Bugiardini, to Jacopo L'Indaco : all
men unable tq penetrate the grand motives of his art, and
more astonished at the excrescence/^ of his learning in de-
sign, than elevated by his genius. Condivi intended to
publish a system of rules and precepts on design, dictated
by Michael Angelo, a work, if ever be did compose it,
Aow perhaps irretrievably lost; from that, had destiny
granted it to us, we might probably have formed a better
action of his powers as an artist, than we can from a bio-
graphic account, of which simplicity and truth constitute
the principal merit Condivi published this life, consisting
of fifty pages, under the title ^' Vita de Micbelagnolo
Buonarroti, raccolta perAscanio Condivi da la Ripa Tran*
sone. In Roma appresso Antonio Blado Stampatore Ca-
Aierale nel M. D. LIII. alii XVI. di Luglio.'' According
to Beyero, in his ^* MemorisB Historico-criticsD, lib. rario-
i:um,*' this is one of the scarcest books in Europe. In
1746, Gori republished it in folio, and as it was originally
published ten years before the death of Michael Angelo,
continued it to that period. Gori's work is a small folioy
printed at Florence, 1746.^
CONDORCET (John Antony Nicolas Caritat Mar*.
WW Dfi), an eminent French philosopher and mathematir
ckn, was born at Ribemont in Picardy, three leagues from
Saint-Quiatin and De la Fere, September 17, 1743, of a
very ancient family. At the age of fifteen he was sent to
study philosophy at the college of Navarre, under Giraud
de K^naudon, who has since distinguished himself by
several scientific works, and was an able teacher of mathe-
matics. During the first year of his residence there, young
Condorcet exhibited but little relish for the metaphysical
fjuestions relative to the nature of ideas, of sensations, and
ot nMnnoryj but in the course of the following year,
mathematics and natural philosophy decided his future
vocation ; and although he hod more than one hundred and
pffenty fellow*stodents, he acquired a greater portion of
ifisme than any of them. At Easter he supported a public
* Pi|kingt«a. — ^Dvppft'g Life of M. Ans^lOy preface, p. 5 sod 6.
e O N i) O & <! £ T, , 1*1
thesis, at which Clairaut, D'Aledabei^t, atfd 'V<mttdM, tte
^n&t "geometriciads of France, assisted ; andkts 'M&dMt 'oh
this occasion oMained their approbation. -A'ft^ his ^oufsfe
tf philosophy was finished, he returned to bis Ifiuialjr^ but
still continued to tuItlTate gieometiy ; atid hls^atM^hoiemft
to it carried him back to Paris in 176S, where %e lived
With his old professor, in order to have more frequent op*
portunities of indulging his rating passion. He at-the sam^
time attendi^d the chemical lectures of Macquer anil
Beauin6, and sobn distinguished himseflf among -the ^'geo**
tnetricians. '
In 1765 he published his first woric ^Sltr le Galeul In-^
tegrel/* in which he proposed to exhibit a general method
bf determining the finite integral of a ^ven differemiiA
equation, either for differences infinitely snHin, ot finite
difiPerences. D^Alembert and Bezout, the comdiisfeionerft
of the academy, employed to examine the merita df tfai^
performance, bestowed high pfaises-on k as -a work of in*
vention, and a presage of talents worthy of encouragement*
In 17B7 he published a second work, the problem of three
bodies, ** Probleme dqs Trois corpsj" in which he present*
ed the nine diflFerential equations of the moVemertt of tii6
bodies of a given system, supposing that each Of these bo^
dies should be propelled by a certain 'forcer, and that A
mutual attraction subsisted among them. He also treated
of the movement of three bodies of a given figure, the pdtt*
tides of which attracted each other in the inverse ratio (St
the square of the distance. In addition 'to this, %he ekr
)>]ained a new method of integers, by approximation, with
the assistance of infinite series ; andmdded to the methods
tahibited in his first work, that whi^h M. de hi Grange
had convinced him was still wanting. Thus Condorcet;
says his eulogist La Lande, was already nmifiti^red with
the foremost mathematicians in Europe. *^ There was
not,*' he adds, " above ten of that 6lilss ; one lit 'Pfeters-
burgh, one at Berlin, one at Basle, one at Milan, and fit^6
or six at Paris; England, which had set'si!ich'an illustriouti
example, no longer produced a single geometer that\;Ou]ti
rank with the former." It is mortifying to us to confe^
diat' this remark is but too much founded on truth. Tet«
Says a late writer of the life of Cmidorcet, we doubt not
but there are in Great Bi^itain at present matlYc^aticians
equal in profundity and address to any who have existed
since the illustrious Newton : but these men are not known
142 C O N D O R C E T. '
to the learned of Europe, because theykeep their science
to theinselves. They have no encoxiragement from the
taste of the nation, to publish any thing' in those higher
departments of geometry which have so long occupied the
attention of the mathematicians on the continent^.
In 1768, under the title of the first part of his " Essais '
d^ Analyse,'' he published a letter to D'Alembert, in which
be reaumed the subjects treated of in his two former works^
and endeavoured, by means of new exhibitions, to extend
his methods of integral calculation, in the three hypo-
theses of evanescent differences, finite differences, an4
partial differences. He there also gave the application of
infinite or indefinite series to the integration ; the methods
of approximation, and the use of all the methods for the
dynamic problems, especially the problem of three bo-
dies : these modes might have become an useful help, that
would have led to important discoveries, but he only
pointed out the road necessary to be followed, without
pursuing it.
He was received into the French academy on the 8th of
March, 1769, and in the course of the same year he pub-
lished a memoir on the nature of infinite series, on the ex-
tent of solutions afforded by this mode, and on a new
method of approximation for the differential equations of
all the orders. In the volumes of 1770, and the following
years, he presented the fruits of his researches on the
equations with partial and finite differences; and in 1772
he published ^^ L'Essai d'une methode pour disilnguer les
Equations differentielles possibles en termes finis de celles
qui ne le sont pas," an essay on a method to distinguish
possible differential equations in finite terms, from those '
which are not so. The mode of calculation here presented,
although an admirable instrument, is still very far distant '
from that degree of perfection to which it may be brought.
In the midst of these studies, he ptblished an anonymous
pamphlet, entitled " A Letter to a Theologian,'* in which
he replied with keen satire to the attacks made by the
authttr of " The Three Centuries of Literature," against
the philosophic sect. "But (subjoins the prudent La
Lande) he pushed the matter somewhat too far, for, > even ^
supposing his system demonstrated, it would be advan- ^
tageous to confine those truths within the circle of the ini-
* Gleig^s Suppl. to the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
CO N D OR C E T. 1«
tiated) because they are dangeroua, in respect to the
greater part of qiankiud) who are unable. to replace^ by
meaos of principlesy that which they are bereaved of .m
the shape of fear, consolation, and hope.'' Coudorcet
was now in fact leagued with the atheists; and La Laiide,
who wished well to the same sect, here censures not his
principles, but only regrets his rashness. In 17.73 he was
appointed secretary to the academy of sciences, when he
composed eulogies upon several deceased members who
had beeipi neglected by Fonteuelle; and in 1782 he was
received into the French academy, on which occasion iie
delivered a discojarse concerning the influence of philoso- ,
pby. In the following year he succeeded D'Alembert as
secretary to that academy, and pronounced an able eulogy
to the mempry of his deceased friend, whose literary aod
scientific merits are set forth with great ability. The deatb
of Euler afforded Condorcet ajiother opportunity of dis-
playing his own talents by appreciating those of the de^
parted^ mathematician* The lives of Turgot and Voltaire»
and the eulogy pronounced upon the death of the cele-
brated Franklin^ were decided testimonies to the abilities
of Condprcet as a biographical writer. Turgot bad occu-
pied much of his time and attention with moral and poli-
tical sciences, and was particularly anxipus that the cer-
tainty of, which different species of knowledge are suscep-
tible, might be demonstrated by the assistance of calcula-
tiQn> hoping that.the human species would necessarily taake
a progress towards happiness and perfection, in the same
manner as it had done towards the attainment of triitlx.
To second, these views of Turgot, Condorcet undertook a
work replete with geometrical knowledge. He examined
the probability of an assembly's rendering a true decision,
and he explained the limits to which our knowledge of
fqture events, regu^s^tedby the law^ of nature, considered
as the most certain and uniform, might extend. If we do
not, possess a.rea/, yet he thought, we have at least a mean
probability, that the law indicated by events, is the same
constant law, and that it will be perpetually observed»^ He
considered a forty-five thousandth part as the value of the
risk, in tlie case when the consideration of a new law comes
in question ; and it appears fro^n his calculation, that an
assenably consisting of 61 votes, in which it is required
that there should be a plurality of nine, will fulfil this con-
dition, provided there is a probability of each vote being
144 C O N D O R C E T.
equal to four^ftfths, jduit is, ibat «ach member 'Toftinj; dbaH
be decetved only once in five times, fie applied these cal^
culations to the creation of tribanals, «to the forms of elec*
tionsy and to the decisionsof nnmerous assemblies ; incen^
jvenienoes attendant on which were exhibited by him. This
work, says his eulogist, famished a grand, and at the same
time, «n agreeable proof of die utility of analysis in im-
portant matters to which it had never before been applied,
and to which we may venture to assert it never will be ap-
plied while human reason is allowed any share to human
tmnsactions. There are many of these paradoxes in geo-
metry, which, we are told^ it is impossible to resolve with-
<>ut being possessed of metaphysical attainments, and a
degree of sagacity not always possessed by the .greatest
geometricians ; but where such attainments arid sagaci^
«re to be found, even Condorcet himsdf has not exempli*
«ed. In his << Euler's Letters,^' published in 1787-S§, he
started the idea of a dictionary, in which dbjects 'ate to be
^discovered by their qualities or properties, instead -of being
searched for under their respective names ; he also inti-
mated a scheme for constructing tables by which ten rml"
liards of objects might be classed together, by means df
only ten different modifications.
In October 1791 he sat as a miember of the national as-
sembly, and for the last time in the academy on Nov. 25,
1792, after whidi it was. suppressed by the barbarians who
then were in power. Of their conduct, however, Con-
dorcet, who had contributed to place them there, could not
complain with a good grace. In the mean time the mem*
bers of the academy considered it as allowable to assemble,
-but terror soon dispersed them, and that dispersion ton*
tinued during nearly $wo years. At lencth Daunou deli^^
vered in bis report relative ta the National Institute, which
was read to the convention in the name of the cominission
of eleven, and the conlmittec; bf public safety. The con-
sequence was, that the restoration of the academies was
decreed, under the title of a National Institute, the firat
class of whidi contained the whde tsif the academy of
sciences. This a$sembly was installed soon after, s^nd
Condorcet furnished the plan.
The political labours or Condorcet entirely occupied the
last years of his existence. Amonv them were, his work,
<< Sur les assemblies provinciales,*^ and his '^* IleflexioDS
8ur le commerce des blls,*^ two ef the most harmless.
^
C O N D OR C E T. us
tn 1788, Roucher undertook to give a new* translalfon
of an excellent English work by Smith, entitled "The
Wealth of Nations," with notes by Gondorcet, who, how-
ever, had but little concern with it, and on this and other
occasions he was not unwilling to sell his name to tlie
booksdlej?s to give a reputation to works with whicit be
had no concern. Chapelier and Peis^onel announced a
periodical/collection, entitled ** Bibliotheque de Phomnie
Public, &c." (The statesman's library, or the analysis of
the best political works.) This indeed was one way of
enabling the deputies of the assembly to learn what it vras
' impoirtant for them to become acquainted with ; it was sun-
posed that the name of Condorcet might be useful oDthis
occasion also, and it was accordingly made use of. 'The
work itself contained one' of his compositions which'hid
been transmitted to the academy at Berlin. The subject
discussed was, "Est il permis de tromperle peuple?''
(Ought the people to be deceived?) This question, we
' presume, must have always been decided in the affirma-
tive by such politicians as Condorcet, since what amounts
' to the same effect, almost all his writings tended to pave
the way for a revolution in which the people were com-
pfetely* deceived. He was afterwards a member of the
popular clubs at Paris, particularly that of the jacobins,
celebrated for democratic violence, where he was a fre-
qbenti but by no means a powerful speaker. He was cho-
sen a representative for the metropolis, when the consti-
tuent assembly was dissolved, and joined himself to the
Brissotine party, which finally fell the just victims to that
■ revolutionary spirit which they had excited. Condorcet at
this period was the person selected t;o draw up a plan for
pubKc instruction, which he comprehended in two memoirs,
and whit*h it is acknowledged were too abstract for general
ti^e. He was the author of a Manifesto addressed from the
F^ehch people to the powers of Eurojbe, on the' approach
of war ; and of a letter to Louis XVI. 'as president of the
assembly, whicH was dictated in terms destitnte of that
rfespfect and consideration to which the first magistrate of a
gre^t people has, as such, a just claim. He even at^empt-
'€d*to juistify the jiisults offered to tfie sovereign by the
Towest, the most illiterate, and tncistbrhtal part of a deli-
rr6tJs populace. ^ On the trial of theking, his conduct was
c^iiivocai and iinmanly ; he hac( d'edlare'd that he ought
'iYdt'to:b6 arraigned, yet he had not courage'to defend big
Vol. X. "^ * ^ |>^ :
146 C O N D O R C E T.
opinion, or justify those sentiments which he hftd delif
berately formed in the closet.
After the death of Louis, Condorcet undertook to frame
a new constitution, which was approved by the convent^oui,
but which did not meet the wishes and expectations of the
nation. A new party, calling themselves the Mountain,
were now gaining an ascendancy in the convention over
Brissot and his friends. At first the contest was severe :
the debates, if tumult and discord may be so denominateo,
ran high, and the utmost acrimony was exercised on all
. sides. Condorcet, always timid, always anxious to avoid
danger, retired as much as possible from the scene. By
this act of prudence he at first escaped the destruction
which overwhelmed the party ; but having written against '
the bloody acts of the mountain, and of the monster Robes-
pierre, a decree was readily obtained against him. He
was arrested in July 1793, but contrived to escape from
the vigilance of the officers under whose care he was
placed. For nine months he lay concealed at Paris, when,
dreading the consequences of a domiciliary visit, he fied
to the house of a friend on the plain of Mont- Rouge, who
was at the time in Paris. Condorcet was obliged to pass
eight-and-forty hours in the fields, exposed to all the
wretchedness of cold, hunger, and the dread of bis enemies.
On the third day he obtained an interview with his friend;
he, however, was too much alive to the sense of danger to
admit Condorcet into his habitation, who was again obliged
to seek the safety which unfrequented fields and pathless
woods could afford. Wearied at length with fatigue and
want of food, on March 26 he entered a little inn and de-
manded some eggs. His long beard and disordered clothes,
having rendered him suspected by a member of the re-
volutionary committee of Clamar, who demanded his pass- .
port, he was obliged to - repair to the committee of the
district of Bourg-la-Reine. Arriving too late to be e^** '
. amined that night, he was conBned in the prison, by the
name of Peter Simon, until he could be conveyed to Paris. .
He was found dead next day, March 28, 1794. On in- ,
' specting the body, the immediate cause of his death coutd
'not be discovered, but it was conjectured that be had .
poisoned himself. Condorcet indeed always carried a.do^
^ of poison in his pocket, and he said to the friend who was '
1 to have received him into his bouse, that he had, been
; often tempted to make use of it, but that the idea of a wife-
C ON DO R C £ T. ^41
and daogfatelT) whom be loved ^ tenderly^ restrained him.
During the time that he was concealed at Paris^ he wrote
a history of the ** Progress of the Human Mind/^ in two
volumes,, of which it is necessary only to add, that among
other wonderful things, the author gravely asserts the pos-
sibility, if not the probability, that the nature of man may
be improved to absolute perfection in body and mind, and
his existence in this world protracted to immortality, a
doctrine, if it deserves the name, which, having been af-
terwards transfused into an English publication, has been
treated with merited ridicule flnd contempt.
Condorcet's private character is described by La Lande^
as easy, quiet, kind, and obliging, but neither his conver-
sation nor his e:^ternal deportment bespoke the fire of his
genius. D'Alembert used to compare him to a volci^no
covered with snow. His public character may be estimated
by what has been related. Nothing was more striking in
him than the dislike, approaching to implacable hatred,
^ which he entertained against the Christian religion; his
philosophical works, if we do not consider them as the
reveries of a sophist, have for their direct tendency a con-
tempt for the order Providence has established in the
world. But as a philosopher, it is not very probable that
Condorcet will hereafter be known, while his discoveries
and improvements in geometrical studies will lev^r be no-
ticed to his honour. If he was not superior to his contem-
poraries, he excelled them all in the early display of talent ;
and it would have been happy for him and bis country, had
he been only a geometrician« ^
CONFUCIUS, or CoN-FU-TSEE, the celebrated Chinese
philosopher, was born in the kingdom of Lou, which is at
present the province of Chan Long, in the 21st year of the
reign of Ling van, the 23d emperor of the race of Tcheou^
551 years B. C. He was contemporary with Pythagoras^
and a little before Socrates. He was but three years old
when he lost his father Tcbo leang he, who had enjoyed
the highest offices of the kingdom of Long ; but left no '
other inheritance to his son, except the honour of descend*
ing from Ti ye, the 27th emperor of the second race of
the Changp. His mother, whose name was Ching, and who
sprung originally from the illustrious family of the Yen,
> fi)og0 by La Larnde. — Condorcet's Works were published in 21 vols. 8to»
m Ptttf^ 1804^ exclusive of hit mathematical writings.
t 2
14S CONFUCIUS.
lived twenty-one years after the death af heiv husbands
Confucius did not grow in knowledge by degrees, as chil-
dren ordinarily doy but seemed to arrive at reason and the'
perfect use of hi» faculties almost from bis infancy. Ta-
king no delight in amusements proper for his age, be had
a grave and serious deportment, which gained him respect,
and was joined with an appearance of unexampled and
exalted piety. He honoured bis relations ; he endeavoure4
in all things to imitate his grandfather, who was then alive
in China, and a most holy man : and it was observable,
that he never ate any thing but he prostrated himself upon
the ground, and offered it first to the supreme Lord of
heaven. One day, while he was a child, he heard bis .
grandfather fetch a deep sigh ; and going up to. him with
many bowings and much reverence, " May I presume/'
says he, " without losing the respect I owe you, to inquire
into the occasion of your grief? perhaps you fear that
your posterity should degenerate from your virtue, and
dishonour you. by their vices," " What put this thought
into your head," says Coum-tse tp him, " and where have
you learnt to speak after this manner ?" ** From yourself,**
teplied Confucius : " I attend diligently to you every time
you speak ; and I have often heard you say, that a son,
whp does not by his virtue support the glory of his ances-
tors, does, not deserve to bear their name." After his
grandfather's death he applied himself to Tcem-se, a ce-
lebrated doctor of his- time; and, under the direction of
so great a master, soon made a surprising progress in an-
tiquity, which he considered as the source from whence
all genuine knowledge was to be drawn. This love for the
ancients very nearly cost him his life when he was not
more than sixteen years of age. Falling into discourse
one day about the Chinese books with a person of higfc
quality, who thought them obscure, and not worth the •
pains of searching into, " The books you despise,"- says
Confucius, " are full of profound knowledge, which is not
to be attained but by the wise and learned : and the
people would think cheaply of them, could they compre-
hend them of themselves. This subordination of spirits,
by which the ignorant are dependent upon the knowing,
is very useful, and even necessary in society. Were all
families equally rich and equally powerful, there could not
subsist any form of government ; but there would happen a
yet stranger disorder, if mankind were all equally knowing,
C O N F tf C I U S. l«
VIZ. every one would be for governing, and none would
think themselves obliged to obey. Some time ago," adde4
Confucius, " an ordinary fellow made the same observa-
tion to me about the books as you have done, and from
^uch a one indeed nothing better could be expected :
but I wonder that you, a doctor, should thus be found
speaking like one of the lowest of the people." This re-
buke had indeed the good effect of silencing the mandarin,
and bringing him to a better opinion of the learning of his
country ; yet vexed him so at the same time, as it came
from almost a boy, that he would have revenged it by
violence, if he had not been prevented.
At the age of nineteen he took a wife, who brought him
a son, called Pe yu. This son died at fifty, but left be-
hind him a son called Tsou-tse, wh,o, in imitation of his
grandfather, applied himself entirely to the study of wis-
dom, and by his merit arrived to the highest offices of the
empire. Confucius was content with his wife only, so
long as she lived with him ; and never kept any concu-
bines, as the custom of his country would have allowed
him to have done, because he thought it contrary to the
law of nature. He divorced her, however, after some tim^,
and for no other reason, say the Chinese, but that be
might be free from all incumbrances and connexions, and
at liberty to propagate his philosophy throughout the
empire. In his twenty-third year, when he had gained a
considerable knowledge of antiquity, and acquainted him-
self with the laws and customs of his country^ he began to
project a scheme of general reformation. All the petty
kingdoms of the empire now depend upon the emperor -,
but tben every province was a distinct Kingdom, which
had its particular laws, and was governed by a prince of
its own. Hence it often happened that the imperial au-
thority was not sufficient to keep tbeni within the bounds
of their duty and allegiance^ and a taste for luxury, the
love of pleasure, and a general dissolution of manner9>
prevailed in all those little courts.
Confucius, wisely persuaded that the people could never
be happ^ under such circumstances, resolved tq preach
up a severe morality ; and, accordingly, he began to en-
force temperance, justice, and other virtues, to inspire a
contempt of riches and outward pomp, to excite to mag-
nanimity and a greatness of soul, wqich should make men
llicapable .of dissimulation and insincerity ; and used all
.150 C O N F U C I U S,
the means he could think of to redeem his countrymen
from ^ life of pleasure to a life of reason. In this pursuit,
his extensive knowledge and great wisdom scon made him
known, and his integrity and the splendour of bis virtues
. made him heloved. Kings were governed by his counsels,
^nd the people reverenced him as a saint. He was offered
. several high offices in the magistracy, which he some^
times accepted, but always with a view of reforming a
currupt state, and amending mankind ; and never failed
. to resign those offices, as soon as he perceived that be
pould be no longer useful. On one occasion he was raised
to a considerable place of trust in the kingdom of Lou,
,bis own native country: before be had exercised his
charge about three months, the court and provinces,
through bis counsels and management, became quite aU
tered. He corrected many frauds and abuses in traffic,
^nd reduced the weights and measures to their proper
standard. He inculcated fidelity and candour amongst the
^ men, and exhorted the women to chastity and a simplicity
of manners. By such methods he wrought a general refor-
.mation, and established every where such concord and
unanimity, that the whole kingdom seemed as if it wer0
but one great family. This, however, instead of exciting
the example, provoked the jealousy of the neighbouring
, princes, who fancied that a king, under the counsels of
such a man as Confucius^ would quickly render himself
too powerful ; since nothing can make a state flourish
more than good order among the members, and an exact
observance of its laws. Alarmed at this, the king of Tsi
assembled his ministers to consider of putting a stop to the
career of this new government ; and, after some delibera-
tions, the following expedient was resolved upon. They
got together a great number of young girls of extraor-
dinary beauty, who had been instructed from theiir infancy
in singing and dancing, and were perfectly mistresses of
pill those charms and accomplishments which might please
^nd captivate the heart. These, under the pretext of an
(Embassy, they presented to the king of Lou, ?ind to the
grandees of his court. The present was joyfully received>
and ^ad its desired effect. The arts of good g(5vernment
were immediately neglected, and nothing was thought of
but inventing new pleasures for the entertainment of the
fair strangers. In short, nothing was regarded for some
months but feasting, dancing, shows, &c. 9nd the cbxurt
CO N.F U C I U S. 151
Wm eolirtly dissolved in luxury and pleasure. Confucius
hid foreseen all tbis, and endeavoured to prevent it by
advising the refusal of the pressnt ; and he now laboured
to take off the delusion they ^rere fallen into, and to bring
them back to reason and their duty. But all his endea*
vours proved ineffectual, and the severity of the philo-
sopher was obliged to give way to the overbearing fashion
of the court. Upon this he immediately quitted bis em*
ployment, exiling himself at the same time from his native
country, to try if he could find in other kingdoms, minds
and dispositions more fit to relish and pursue his maxims.
He passed through the kingdoms of Tsi, Guci, and Tson,
but met with insurmountable difficulties every where, ' as
at that time, rebellion, wars, and tumults, raged throughout
the empire, and men had no time to listen to bis philo-
sophy, and were in themselves ambitious, avaricious, and
voluptuous. Hence be often met with ill treatment aiid
reproachful language, and it is said that conspiracies were
formed against his life : to which may be added, that his
neglect of his own interests had reduced him to the ex*
tremest poverty. Some philosophers among his contem*
poraries were so affected with the state of public affairs,
that they had rusticated themselves into the mountains and
deserts, as the only places where happiness could be
found ; and would have persuaded Confucius to have fol-
lowed them. But, ^^ I am a man,^* says Confucius, *^ and
cannot exclude myself from the society of men, and con-
sort with beasts* Bad as the times are, 1 shall do all I can
to recall men to virtue : for in virtue are all things, and if
mankind would but once embrace it, and submit them-
selves to its discipline and laws, they would not want me
or any body else to instruct them. It is the duty of a
good man, first to perfect himself, and then to perfect
others/ Human nature,'* said he, ^^ came to us from hea-
ven pure and perfect ; but in process of time, ignorance,
the passions, and evil examples have corrupted it« All
consists in restoring it to its primitive beauty ; and to be
perfect, we must re-ascend to that point from which we
have fsillen. Obey heaven, and follow the orders of him
who governs it. Love your neighbour as yourself. Let
your reason, and not your senses, be the rule of your con-
duct : for reason will teach you to think wisely, to sp^ak
prudently, and to behave yourself worthily upon all oc-
casions/'
ifi^ . CONFUCIUS.
Cou&cius io the mean time, though he had Witfadvsiwit
himself from kings and palaces, did not cease to travel -
about and do what gbod he could among the people, a'tid
among mankind in general. He had often in his mouth *
the maxims and examples of their ancient heroes,. Yao^
Chun, Yu, Tischin tang, &c. who were thought to be re^
vived in the person of this great man ; and hence he pro-
selyted great numbers, who were inviolably attached to
his person. He is said to have had at least 3000 followers,
72 of whom were distinguished above the rest by their su*
perior attainments, and ten above them all by their com-
{)rehensive view and perfect knowledge of his whole phi-
osophy and doctrines. He divided his disciples into four
classes, who applied themselves to cultivate and propagate
his philosophy, each according to his particular distinction. ■
The first class were to improve their minds by meditation,
and to purify their hearts by virtue : The second were to
cultivate the arts of reasoning justly, and of composing
elegant and persuasive discourses*: The study of the third
clfiss.was, to learn the rules of good government, to give
an idea of it to the mandarins, and to enable them to fill
the public offices with honour: The last class were con-
cerned in delivering the principles of morality in a concise
and polished style to the people ; and these chosen dis-
ciples were the flower of Confucius*s school.
He sent 600 of his disciples into different parts of the
empire, to reform the manners of the peop)e; and, not
satisfied with benefiting his own country only, he made
frequent resolutions to pass the seas, and propagate his
doctrine to the farthest parts of the world. Hardfy any
thing can be added to the purity of his morality. He
seems rather to speak like a doctor of a revealed law, than '
a man who had no lio:ht but what the law of nature afforded
him, and he taught as forcibly by example as by precept.
In short, his gravity and sobriety, hi^ rigorous abstinence,
his contempt of riches, and what are commonly called the
^oods of this life, his continual attention and watchfulness'
over his actions, and, above all, that modesty and humility
which are not to be found among the Grecian sages ; all
these would almost tempt one to believe that he was not a
mere philosopher formed by reason only, but a man raised
up for the reformation of the world, and to cl^eck that tor-
rent of idolatry nnd superstition which was about to over-
spread that particular part of it. He is said to have lived
CONFUCIUS. IS*
4
s^retly three years, and to bave spent the latter part of
Iris life in sorrow. A few days before his last illness, he
told his disciples with tears in his eyes, that he was over*
come with grief at the sight of the disorders which pre-
vailed .in the empire : *^ The mountain," said he, ^^ is faU.
len, the high machine is demolished, and the sages are all
fled/' His meaning was, that the edifice of perfection,
which he had endeavoured to raise^ was entirely over-
thrown. He began to languish from that time ; and the
7th day before his death, ** the kings," said he, '^ reject
my maxioas ; and since I am no longer useful on the earth,
I may as well leave it." After these words he fell into a
leithargy, and at the end of seven days expired in the arm^
of his disciples, in his seventy-third year. Upon the first
hearing of his death, Ngai cung, who then reigned in tha
kingdom of Lou, coulc) not refrain from'tears : ^' The Tien
is nut satisfied with me," cried he, " since it has taken
away Confucius." Confucius was lamented by the whole
empire^ which Irom that' moment began to honour him as
a saint. Kings have built palaces for him in all the pro-
vinces, whither the learned go at certain times to pay him
homag^. There are to be seen upon several edifices,
raised in honour of him, inscriptions in large characters,
** To the great master." ♦< To the head doctor." " To
the saint." " To the teacher of emperors and kings."
They built his sepulchre near the city Kio fou, on the
banks of the river^Su, where he was wont to assemble his
disciples ; and they bave since inclosed it with wills, which
look like a small city to this very day.
Confocius did not trust altogether to the memory of his
disciples for the preservation of his philosophy ; but com-
posed several books : and though these books were greatly
admired for the doctrines they contained, and the fine
principles of morality they taught, yet such was the un«
paralleled modesty of this philosopher, that he ingenuously
confessed, that the doctrine was not his own, but was much
more ancient ; and- that he had done nothing more than
collect it from those wise legislators Yao and Chun, who
lived 1500 years before him. These books are held in the
highest esteem and veneration, because they contain all
tl^t he had collected relating to the ancient laws, which
are looked upon as the most perfect rule of government.
The number of these classical and canonical books, for so
it seems they are called, is four* The first i:s entitled ^^ Ta
a
154 CONFUCIUS-
HiOy the Grand Science, or the School of the Adults.'' It
is this that beginners ought to study first, as the porch of
the temple of wisdom and virtue. It treats Of the care we
ought to take in governing ourseives, that we may be able
afterwards to govern others : and of perseverance in the
chief good, which, according to him, is nothing but a con-
formity of our actions to right reason. It was chiefly de-
signed for princes and grandees, who ought to govern their
people wisely. *^ The whole science of princes,*' says
Confucius, ^* consists in cultivating and perfecting the rea-
spnable nature they have received from Tien, and in re-
storing tha^ light and primitive clearness of judgment,
which has been weakened and obscured by various passions,
that it may be afterwards in a capacity to labour the per-
fections of others. To succeed then,'' says he, ^^ we should
begin within ourselves ; and to this end it is necessary to
have ao insight into the nature of things, and to gain the
knowledge of good and evil ; to determine the will toward
a love of this good, and an hatred of this evil : to preserve
integrity of heart, and to regulate the manners according
to reason. When a man has thus renewed himself, there
will be less difficulty in renewing others : and by this means
concord and union reign in families, kingdoms are govern-
ed according to the laws, and the whole empire enjoys
peace and tranquillity."
The second classical or canonical book is called ^^Tchong
Yong, or the Immutable Mean ;" and treats of the meui
which ought to be observed in all things. Tchong signi-
fies weansy and by Yong is understood that which is con-
stant, eternal, immutable. He undertakes to prove, that
every wise man, and chiefly those who have the care of
governing the world, should follow this mean, which is the
essence of virtue. He enters upon his subject by defining
}iumau nature, and its .passions ; then he brings several
examples of virtue and piety, as fortitude, prudence, and
^lial duly, which are proposed as so many patterns to be
imitated in keeping this mean. In the next place he shews,
that this mean, and the practice of it, is the right and true
path which a wise man should pursue, in order to attain
the highest pitch of virtue. — ^The third book, '^ Yun Lu, or
the Book of Maxims,'' is a collection of si^itentious and
moral discourses, and is divided into 20 articles, contain*
ing only questions, answers, and sayings of Confucius and
his disciples, on virtue, good works^ and the art of goveni-
CONFUCIUS; IBS
iag wel! ; ^the tentb article excepted, in which the disci*
pies of Confucius particdarly describe the outward deport*
ment of their master. There are some maxims and moral
sentences in this collection, equal to those of the seven
wise men of Greece, which have always been so much ad*
mired. — The fourth book gives an idea of a perfect govern-
ment; it is called ^' Meng Tsee, or the Book of Mentius;'*
because^ though numbered among the classical and ca*
nonical books, it is more properly the work of his disciple
Mentius. To these four books they add two others, which
have almost an equal reputation ; the first is called ** Hiao
King,*' that is, *^ of Filial Reverence,^' and contains the
answers which Confucius made to his disciple Tseng, con* .
cerniug the respect which is due to patents. The second
is called *^ Sias Hio,'' that is, ^^'the Science, or the School
of Children ;" which is a collection of sentences and examf-
ples taken from ancient and modern authors. They who
would have a perfect knowledge of all these works, will
find' it in the Latin translation of father Noel, one of the
tnost ancient missionaries of China, which was printed at
Prague in 1711.
We must not conclude our account of this celebrated
j)hiiosopber, without mentioning one most remarkable par-
ticular relating to him, which is this ; viz. that in spite of
all the pains be had taken to establish pure religion and
sound morality in the empire, he was nevertheless the in-
nocent occasion of their corruption. There goes a tradi*
tion in China, that when Confucius was complimented
upon the excellency of his philosophy, and his own con-
formity thereto, he modestly declined the honour that wan
done him, and said, that <<he greatly fell short of the
most perfect degree of virtue, but that in the west the
most holy was to be found.*' Most of the missionaries who
relate this are firmly persuaded that Confucius foresaw the
coming of the Messiah, and meantto predict it in this short
sentence ; but whether he did or not, it is certain that it
has always made a very strong impression upon the learn*^
ed in China : ai^d the emperor Mimti, who reigned 65
years after the birth of Christ, was so touched with this
saying of Confucius, together with a dream, in which he
saw the image of a holy person coming from the west, that
he fitted out a fleet, with orders tp sail till they had found
\Am, and to bring back at least his image and his writings.
The persons sent upon this expedition, not daring to veqr
15i6 C O N F tJ C I U &
t
ture £utber, went a-sbore upon a little island not far frotrt
the Red Sea, where they found the statue of Fohi, who
had infected the Indies with his doctrines 500 years before
the birth of Confucius. This they carried back to China,
together with the metempsychosis, and the other reveries
of this Indian philosopher. The disciples of Confucius at
first oppossed these newly imported doctrines with all thie
vigour imaginable ; inveighing vehemently against Mimti,
who introduced them, and denouncing the judgment of
heaven on such emperors as should support them. But' all
their endeavours were vain ; the torrent bore hard against
them, and the pure religion and sound morality off Confu-
cius'were soon corrupted, and in a manner overwhelmed,
by the prevailing idolatries and superstitions which were
introduced with the idol Fohi.
By his sage counsels, says Brucker, his moral doctrine,
and his exemplary conduct, Confucius obtained an immor-
tal name as the reformer of his country. After his death,
his name was held in the highest veneratTon ; and his doc-
trine is still regarded, among the Chinese, as the basis of
all mqrai and political wisdom. His family enjoys by in-
heritance the honourable title and office of Mandarins ;
and religious honours are paid to his memory. It is
nevertheless asserted by the missionaries of the Franciscan
and Dominican orders, that Confucius was either wholly
unacquainted with, or purposely neglected, the doctrine
of a future life, and that in his moral system he paid little
regard to Teltgion. '
CONGREVE (William), an English dramatic writer
and poet, the son of William Congreve of Bardsey Grange,
about eight miles froni Leeds, was born iri Feb. 1669-70.
He was bred at the school of Kilkenny in Ireland, to which
country he was carried over when a child by his father,
who had a command in the army there. In 1685 he was
admitted in the university of Dublin, and after having
studied there some years, came to England, probably to
his father's house, who then resided iti Staffordshire. On
the 17th of March 1690-1, he became a member of the
society of the A^iddle Temple ; but the law proving too
dry for him^ he troubled himself little with it, and con-
tinued to pursue. his former studies. His first production
* Preceding editions of this Diottonary, priacipailly from Dtt Hfllde, Lt
Coippte> and the Ancient and Modem Universal History .-*-BrttCker,'rr]VIoreri^
. , , . , . • »■ ^ ■ ■< • • • - ■ •
CO NO RE V E, 157
agnail a^uj^bor^ was a novel, wbich). under the assumed
name of Cleopbil, he dedicated to Mrs. Catherine Levesan»
The title of it was, ^Mncognita, or Love and Duty recoa*
ciled/' which lias been said to have coasiderabtle . merit as
the production of a youth of seventeen, but it it cetmain he
was now full twenty-one, and had sense enough to publish
it without bis name, and whatever reputation he gained by
it, must haveH}een confined within the circle of a few^ac*
<}uaiutance.
Soon after, he applied himself to dramatic composition,
apd . wrote a comedy called '' The Old Bachelor ;'* of
which Dryden, to whom he was recommended by Soutfci«>
erne, said,. *^ That, he never saw such a first play in his
life; and.tbat it would be a pity to have it. miscarry for a
few things, which proceeded not from the author's want of
genius or art, but from his not being acquainted with the
stage and, the town." Dryden revised and corrected it i^
a^ it was acted in 1693. The prologue, intended to be
spoken, was written by lord Falkland ; tbe play was ad-^
mirably performed, and received with such general ap*
plause, that Congreve was thenceforward considered §s.the
prop of the declining stage, and as the rising genius in
dramatic poesy. It was this plsiy, and the very singular
success that attended it upon the stage, and after it came
from the press, which recommended its author to the pa-
tronage of lord Halifax i who, being desirous to place so-
eminent a wit in a state of ease and tranquillity, made him
immediately one of the commissioners for licensing hack*
ney-coaches, which was followed soon after by a place in
tbe Pipe^office ; and tbe office of a commissioner of wine^
licenses, worth 600/. per annum. After such encourage-
ment as the town, and even the critics, had given him, be
quickly made his appearance again on the stage, by bring-
ing on '* The Double Dealer ;'* but this play, though
highly approved and commended by tbe best judges, was
not so universally applauded as his last, owing, it is sup-
posed, to the regularity of the performance; for regular
comedy was then a new thing.
Queen Mary dying at the close of this year, Congreve
wrote a pastoral on that occasion, entitled '^ The Mourn-
ing Muse of Alexis;" which, for simplicity, elegance, and
correctness, was long admired, and for which the king
gave him a gratuity of 100/. In 1695 he produced his
comedy called ^* Lore for Love," which gained him much
158
CONGREVE.
applaose; and the same year addressed to king Willtam-
an ode ^ Upon the taking of Namnr;*' which wa$ yery^
sQCcessfal. After having established hig reputation as a
comic writer, he attempted a tragedy; and, in 1697, his
<< Mourning Bride'* was acted at the new theatre in Lin-
coln's^inn-fields, which completely answered the very high
expectations of the public and of his friends. His atten-*
tion, however, was now called off from the theatre to ano«
ther species of composition, which was wholly new, and in
which he was not so successful. His four plays were at-
tacked with great sharpness by that zealous reformer of
the stage, Jeremy ColKer^ who, having made his general -
attack on the imau>rality of the stage, included Congrere
among the writers who had largely contributed to that
effect. The consequoice of the dispute which arose be*
tween Collier and the dramatic writers we have related in ;
CoUier^s article*. It may be sufficient in this place to add,
that' although this controversy is believed to have created
in Congreve some distaste to the stage, yet he afterwards
brought on another comedy, entitled *' The Way of the >
World ;'* of which it gave so just a picture, that the world
seemed resolved not to bear it. This completed the dis-
gust of our author to the theatre ; updn which the cele-
brated critic Dennis, thougji not very famous for either^
said with equal wit and taste, '^ That Mr. Congreve quitted
the stage early, and that comedy left it with him.'* This
play, however, recovered its rank, and is still a favourite
with the town. He amused himself afterwards with com<*>
posing-eriginal poems and translations, which he collected
•in a volume, and published in 1710, when Swift describes
him as ^^ never free from the gout'," and *^ almost blind,"
yet amusing himself with writing a " Tatler."
* CoDgreve*s comedies are certaiuiy,
among the most licentious of the Eng-
lish series, and have been ofUsner cen-
sur^ on that account than the writ-
ings of any other dramatist. The late
lord Karnes it peculiarly severe in his
notice' of Congrevcy but it is impossible
to «ay that h« is unjust; " How odious
ought those writers to be, who tfaas
spread infed^on through their country,
employing the talents they have from
their Maker most ungratefully against
Umself, by endeavoul^ing to corrupt
and disfigure his creatuces ! If. the
comedies of Congreve did not rack him
with remors* in his lant oioinents, ht
must have been lost to all sense of vir-
tue. Nqr will it afford any excuse to
such writers, that their comedies are
entertaining, unless it could be main*
tained, thai wit, sprigfatliness, and other
such qualifications, are better- suited
to a vicious than a virtuous character t
the direct contrary of which holds true
in theory ; and is exemplified in prac-
tice from the M^rry Wives of Windsors
where we are highly. entertained with
the conduct of two ladies, not more re-
markable for mirth and spirit than for
the strictest purity of intaaenk" -Ele-
ments of Criticism,
C O N G R E V E. 159
He had a taste for music as well as poetry ; as ajppears
from his " Hymn to Harmony in honour of 8t. Cecilia^s
day, 1701/' set by Mr. John Eccles, his great fi;iend, to
whom he ii^as aho obliged for composing several of hk
songs. His early acquaintance with the great bad fNrocored
him an easy and independent station in life, and this freed
him from all obligatioiis of courting the public favpur any
longer. He was still under the tie of gratitude to his illus^
trious patrons; and as he never missed an opportunity of
paying his cpmpliments to tbem» so on the other hand he
always shewed great regard to persous of a less exalted
station, who had been serviceable to him on his entrance
into public life. He wrote an epilogue for his old fiieod
Southerners tragedy of Oroonoko ; and we learn from Diy«
den himself, how much he was obliged to his assbtance in
the translation of Virgil. He contributed also the eleventh
satire to the translation of ^^ Juvenal/' published by that
great poet, and wrote someeiEcellent verses on the trans*
lation of Persius, written by Dryden alone.
The greater part of the last twenty years of his life was
spent in ease and retirement ; but towards the end of it,
he was much afflicted with gout, which brought on a gra*
dual decay. It was for this, that in the summer of 172d,
he went to Bath for the benefit of the waters, where he
had the misfortune to be overturned in his chariot ; from
which time he complained of a pain in his side, which was
supposed to arise from some inward bruise. Upon his re-
turn to London, his health declined more and more; and
he died at his house in Surry -street in the Strand, Jan. 19,
1729. On the 26th, his corpse lay in state in the Jerusa*
lem chamber; whence the same evening it was carried
with great solemnity into Henry VllthS chapel at West*
minster, and afterwards interred in the abbey. The pall
was supported by the duke of Bridgewater, earl of GodoU
phin, lord Cobbam, lord Wilmington, the hon. George
Berkeley, esq. and brigadier-general Chikrchill ; and colo**
nel Congreve followed as chief mourner. Some time after,
a neat and elegant monument was erected to his memory ^^
by Henrietta duchess of Marlborough, to whom he be«
* It IS remarkable tliat on ibis mo- thinking that he was one of his coun*
nnment he is said to be only fiffcy>si]c trymen (an Irishman). Jacob only,
years old, wheVeas be had -nearly com- although not frequently q noted as a
pleted, his sixtieth year ; but at that good authority, maintained arhat is
time, neither the tiine of his birth was now known to be the truth, that he was
known, nor even his country. South- bom in Yorkshire. -
enie patronized him so warmly from
160 C O N G R E V E.
queathed a legacy of about 10^000/. tbe accumulation of
attentive parsimony, which/ though to her superfluous and
useless, might have given great assistance to the ancient
family from which he descended, at that time, by tbe
imprudence of bis relation, reduced to difficulties and
distress.
It has been observed of Congreve, that no man ever
passed thr6ugh life with more ease and less envy than be.
No change of ministries affected him in the least, nor was
he ever removed from any post that was given him, except
to a better. His place in tbe Custom House, and his of-
fice of secretary in Jamaica, are said to have brought him*
in upwards of 1200/. per annum ; and though he lived >iiit«
ably to such a fortune, yet by his economy he-raised from
thence a competent estate. He was always upon good
terms with the wits of bis time, and never involved in any
of their quarrels, nor did he receive from any of them the'
least mark of distaste or dissatisfaction. On the contrary,
they were solicitous for his approbation, and received it as
tlie highest sanction of merit. Addison testified his per-
sonal regard for him, and his high esteem of his writings,
in many instances. Steele considered him as his patron
upon one occasion^ in dedicating his Miscellanies to bin),
^aud was desirous of submitting to him as an umpire on an-
other, in the address prefixed to Addison's ^^ Drummer.**
Even Pope, though jealous, it is said, of his poetical cha-
racter, has honoured him with the highest testimony of de-
ference and esteem in the postscript to his translation of
Homer's Iliad, and he preserved a high respect for him.
About two years after his death, in a conversation with
Tonson tbe bookseller, who happened to mention Congreve,
Pope said with a sigh, *< Ay, Mr. Tonson, Congreve was
vltimus Ronumorum ^ /"
** Congreve,'* says Dr. Johnson, ** has merit of the
highest kind; he is an original writer, who borrowed nei-
ther the models of his plot, nor the manner of his dialogue.
Of his plays I cannot speak distinctly, for since I inspected
them many years have passed ; but what remains upon my
memory is, that his characters are commonly fictitious and
artificial, with very little of nature, and not much of life.
He formed a peculiar idea of comic excdlence, which he
0
* He afterwards added, that *' Garth, iDeo, of the poetical memhers of the
Vanburgh, and Congirve, were tbe Kit-Cat Club." Spencers Anecdotes,
three most hooes^earted, real good MSi
<upp»&ed to consist in gaj redvdtkff aivd meitfpected arr^
swers ; but that which he endeavoured^ he sel^k)«n failed
of performing. His 8«en«s eichibit not much of humour^
imagery^ or passion : his persronages are a kind of intel*
lectual glaxliators ; every sentence is to ward or strike; tbpei^
ciDDtest of smartriess is netet intermitted ; Ws wit ii ^
meteor playing to and fro wkt^ alternate corrascations.
His comedies have therefore, in some degree, the opetfi^
tion of tfagedies; they stirprise rather than divert, and
raise admiratioit oftener than merrim«nC. Bnt they are the
wcrrks of a mind replete wkb imstges, and (pick in combi-
nation. Of bis miscelltoeowa poetry I eannot say any
thiag very favourable. The pd^-rers of Congreve seem to
desert him when he leaves the stage, as Ants&ns was n-o
longer surong than he cotrkl touch ihe ground. It cannot
be observed withoiiit woi^er, that a mind' i^ tigotous and
fertile in dramatic compositions, should on any other occa-
sion discover nothing but impotence and poverty. He h^
ia these little pieces neither elevaticsn of fancy, selection
oflangaagev ivor skill m versilicatioft ; yet if I were ter
quired to select from the whole Kias» of English poetry the
ittost poetical paragraph, t know not what I could prefer
to an exclimiatidn in * The M ourm^g Bride :'
9
Aim. It was a faney*d noise -, for all is hush*d.
Leon. It bore the acce/it of a human voice.
AtM. It was thy ffear, or ebe some transient wind
Whistling thro' hollows of thk vaulted isle :
We'll Usten*-^ — i —
Leon. Hark!
Alm. Noj all is hush'dy and still as death. — 'Th^ drttidfalt !
How reverend is the fece of this tall pile ;
Whose ancient pillars rear their marble heads^
To bear aloft its arch'd sind ponderous roof^
By its own weijght made stead^sist and immoveable,
LookiBg traaquilUtf ! it strikes sm awe
And terror on mv aeloBg sij^t > the tombs
And moaumeatai caves of death look cold»
And shoc)t a c;hillness to my trembling heact.
Give me thy Rand, and let me hear tl^ voice 5
Nay, quickly spesik to me, and let me &ear
Thy voicfe*-my ovfrn affrights me with its echoi^.
'^ He who reads those lines enjoys for a mooient the
Edwei's of a poet ; be feels what be remembers to have felt
eforc^ biAkhe feels it wi^h great iacsease of sensibility;
He recognizes a familiar image, but meets it again amplU
Vol. X. ' M
162 C O N G R E V E:
fied and expanded, embellished with beauty, and enhirgedl
with majesty.
^* The * Birth of the Muse' is a miserable fiction. One
good line it has, which was borrowed from Dryden : of his
irregular poems, that to Mrs. Arabella Hunt seems to be
the best: his ^ Ode for Cecilia's Day,' however, has some
lines which Pope had in bis mind when he wrote his own.
His Imitations of Horace are feebly paraphrastical, and the
additions which he makes are of little value. He some-
times retains what were more properly omitted, as when he
talks of vervain and gums to propitiate Venus. Of his
translations, the * Satire of Juvenal' was written very early,
and may therefore be forgiven, though it have not the mas«
siness and vigour of the original. In all his versions
strength -and sprightliness are wanting : his Hymn to Ve-
nus, from Homet*, is perhaps the best. His lines are weak-
ened with expletives, and his rhymes are frequently im-
perfect.
''His petty poems are seldom worth the cost of criti-
cism : sometimes the thoughts are false, and sometimes^
comnion. In his ' Verses on Lady Gethin,' the latter part
is an imitation of Dryden's ' Ode on Mrs. Killigrew;' and
' Doris/ that has been so lavishly flattered by Steele, has
indeed some lively stanzas, but the expression might be
mended ; and the most striking part of the character had
been already shewn in * Love for Love.' His * Art of
Pleasing' is founded on a vulgar but perhaps impracticable
principle, and the staleness of the sense it not concealed by
any novelty of illustration or elegance of diction. This
tissue of poetry, from which he seems to have hoped a
lasting name, is totally neglected, and known only as it is
appended to his plays. While comedy or while tragedy is
regarded, his plays are likely to be read ; but, except what
relates to the stage, I know not that be has ever written a
stanza that is sung^ or a couplet that is quoted. The ge-
neral character of his ' Miscellanies' is, that they shew lit-
tle wit and little virtue. Yet to him it must be confessed
that we are indebted for the correction of a national error,
and the cure of our Pindaric madness. He first taught the
English writers that Pindar's odes were regular ; and though
*:ertainly he had not the fire requisite for the higher spe-
cies of lyric poetry, he has ishewn us that enthusiasm has its
rules, and that in mere confusion there n noUier grace
nor greatness/"
COMGREVE. 163
W^ will conclude our account of Congreve, with the .
character given of him by Voltaire ; who has not failed to-
do justice to high merit, at the same time that he has freely
animadverted on him, for a foolish piece of affectation.
" He raised the glory of comedy,'* says Voltaire, ^^ to a
greater height than any English writer before or since his
time. He wrote onlya few plays, but they are excellent in
their kind. The laws of- the drama are airictly observed
in them. They abound wiib characters, atl Which are sha-
dowed with the utmost delicacy; and we meet with not so
much as one lower coarse jest. The language is every
where that of men of fashion, but their actions are those of
knaves ; a proof, that he was perfectly well acquainted urith
human nature^ 'and frequented what we call polite com-
pany. He was infirm, and come to the verge of life When I
knew him. Mr. Congreve iiad one defect, which was his
entertaining too mean an idea of his first profession, that of
a writer; though it was to this he owed his fattie and for-
tune. He spoke of his works as of trifles that were beneath
him; and hinted to me, in our first conversation, that I
should visit him upon no other foot than that of a gentle-
man, who led a life of plainness and simplicity. I an-
swared, that had he been so unfortunate as to be a mere
gentleman, I should never have come to see him ; a:nd I
was very much disgusted at so unseasonable a piece of
vanity."*
CONNOR (Dr. !|Bernard), a physician and learned
writer, was descended of an ancient family in Ireland, and
born in the county of Kerry about 1666. His faonily being
of the popish religion, he was not ^educated regularly in the
grammar-schools or university, but was assisted by private
tutors, and when he grew up, applied himself to the study
of physic. About 1686 he went to France, and resided
for some time in the university of IVJontpeli^r ; and from
thence to Paris, where he distinguished himself in his pro-
fession, particularly in the branches of anatomy and che-
mistry. He professed himself desirous of travelling ; and
as there were two sons of the high chancellor of Poland
•
I • • ' ■
1 Biog. Brit. — Malone's Dryden, vol. J. p. 233.— Memoirs of the Life, &c. of
W.CoD|;reve, by Chiirles^ Wilson, esq. 8vb» 1730. This Charles Wiisoii, esq.
was one of Curll'e writers, and probably Oidmixoa; Tlie work contains very
little life, butbasiAaiiy of Conjrrei^e'K Wtters. tlis E»say on Qurnour, and a
few other misMUaoies, Lord Or^ord has a jiuiicions* character of Congreve in
bis Works, vol; II. p. Sid— See also Fitzo«borne*s Letters, Letter 70. — Kamf^s's
fiWmenU, voL L p. 57,-*Blair*s Lcct«ir«s.— Bowlcs*s edition of Pope, &c. &c.
M 2 .
164 CONNOR.
then on the point of returning to their own country, it Was
thought expedient that they should take that ioog journey
under the care and inspection of Connor. He accordingly
conducted them very safely to Venice, where, having aa
opportunity of curing the honourable William Legge, af-
terwards earl of Dartmouth, of a fever, be accompanied him
to Padua; whence he went through Tyrol, Bavaria, and
Austria, down the Danube, to Vienna; and after having
made some stay at the court of the emperor Leopold, passed
through Moravia and Silesia to Cracow, and tJnence in eight
days to Warsaw. He was well received at the court of
king John Sobieski, and was afterwards madel^is phy^ian^
a v|j^y extraordinary preferment for a young man of only
twenty-eight. But his reputation in the court of Pcdaiut
was raised by the judgment he made of the duchess €>f
RadzeviPs distemper, which the physicians of the court
pronounced to be an ague, from which she might easily be
recovered by the bark 'y and Connor insisted, that she bad
an abscess in her liver, and that her case was desperate^
As this lady was the king^s only sister, bis predictioii made
a great noise, more especially when it was justified by the
event ; for she not only died within a month, but, upoia
the opening of her body, the doctor's opinion of her ma-r
l^dy was fully verified. Great as Connor's fame was ia
Poland, he did uot propose to remain longer there thanf
was requisite to finish bis inquiries into the natural history^
and other curiosities of that kingdom ; and foreseeing the
king's decease, and that he bad no prospects of advantage
afterwards, he resolved to quit that country, and to return
to England, for which a very advantageous opportunity oc-
curred. The king had an only daughter, the princess Te-
resa Cunigunda, who had espoused the Elector of Bavaria
by proxy in August 1694« As she was to make a journey
fpm Warsaw to Brussels, of near 1000 nules, amd in the
midst of winter, it was thought necessary that she should
be attended by a physician. Connor procured himself to
be nominated to that employment; and, after reaching
Brussels, took leave of the princess, set out for HoUand^^
and thence to England, where he arrived in Feb. 1695.
He staid some short time at London, and then went to
Oxford, where he read public lectures upon the animal oeco*
noniy. In his travels through Italy, he bad conversed with
Maipighi, Bellini, Redi, and other celebrated persons, of
whose abilities he availed himself ; and he now explained
CONNOR. l«i
»
the De# discoveries in an&tomy, chemistry, and physic, in
so clear and judicious a manner, that his reputation was
soon raised to a considerable height. It was increased by
printing, during bis residence at Oxford, some learned and
accurate dissertations in Latin^ under the following general
title, ** Dissertationes medico-physicee.'* Many curious
'questions are discussed, and curious facts related, in these
dissertations, which discover their author to have been a
man of much thought and observation, as well as of great
xeading and general knowledge. He returned in the sum-
mer o/f 1695 to London, where he read lectures as he had
<lone at Oxford ; and became soon after a member of the
Aoyal Society, and also of the college of physicians. In
169€ he weiit to Cambridge, and read lectures th^re ; and
^pon his return to London was honoured with a letter from
the bishop of Pleskof, in which was contained the case of
his old master the king of Poland. His advice was desired
aipoQ it ; but before he could send it, the news came of
that monarch's death.
In 1697 he published his ^^ Evangelium medici : seu
viedicina mystica de suspensis naturae legibus, sive de mi-
raculis, reiiquisque tv r6i$ ^t^mg memoratis, quse medicee in-
ilagini subjici possunt.** This little treatise, containing
16 sections only, was reprinted within the year, and pro-
cared the author a mixed reputation. Some admired Ms
ingenuity, but bis orthodoxy and religion were called in
question by o^ers, as he attempts in this work to account
lOt the miracles of the Bible upon natural principles.
The Perish election, upon the death of Sobieski, having
a strong influence upon the general system of affairs in Eu-
4rop€, and being a common topic of discourse at that time,
induced many considerable persons to seek the acquaint-
ance of Connor, that they might learn from him the state
)&f that kingdom : which being little known, he was desired
40 publish what he knew of the Polish nation and country.
In compliance with this request, he wrote ** The History of
Poland, in several letters,*' &c. The two volumes, of
which this work consists, were published separately : and
the last evidently bears many marks of precipitation, but
the information was new and interesting. Connor would
'pTchahly have become eminent in his profession ; but in
the flower of his age, and just as he began to reap the fruits
of his learning, study, and travels, he wa^ attacked by a
fever, which after a short illness carried him off, Oct. 1698,
166 CONNOR.
when he was little more than 32 years of age, He had,
as we observed before, been bred in the Romish religion ;
but b^d embraced that of the church of England upon his
Ar$t coming over from Holland.-^ It has nevertheless been
a matter of doubt, in what communion he died ; but from
his funeral sermon preached by Dr. Hayley, rector of St.
jGiles's in the Fields, where he was inteirred, it has been in-
ferred that, apcording to every appearance, he died in the
protestant profession. ^
CONON was a mathematician and philosopher of Samos,
who flourished about the 130th olympiad, being a contem-
porary and friend of Archimedes, to whom Conon commu-
fiicated his writings, and sent him some problems, which
Archimedes received with approbation, saying they ought
tQ be, published while Conon was living, for be compre-
hended them with ease, and could give a proper demon-
stration of them. At another time be laments the loss of
jConon, thus admiring his genius : ^^ How itaany theorems
in geometry,*' says he, ^' which at first seemed impossible,
would in time have been brought to perfection! Alas!
Conon, though he invented many, with which he enriched
geometry, had not time to perfect; them, but left many in
the dar}(, bejng prevented by death." He had an uncom-
mon skill in mathematics, joined to an extraordinary pa-
tk nee and application. This is farther confirmed by a let-
ter sent to Archimedes by a friend of Conon*^. *• Having
heard of Conon's death, with whose friendship I was ho-
noured, and with whom you kept an intimate correspond-
ence ; as he was thoroughly versed in geometry, I greatly
lament the loss of a sincere friend, and a person of surpri-
sing knowledge in mathematics. I then determined to send
to you, as I had before done - to him, a theorem in geome-
try, hitherto observed by no one.-'
Conon had ^ome disputes with Nicoteles, who wrote
against him, and treated him with too mucn conteo(ip.t.
Apollonius confesses it ; though he acknowledges that Co?
non was nqt fortunate in his demonstrations. Conon in-
vented a kind of volute, or spiral, different from that of
Pynostrat^s ; but because Archimedes explained the pro-
perties of it more clearty, the name of the inventor wa$
forgotten, and it was hence called Archimedes's volute o^
spiral. As to ponon's astrological or astronomical knpw-
1 Eiog. BriU
C O N O N. 1«7
Itedge, it may ia some measure be gathered from the poem
of Catullus, who describes it in the begioning of his verses
on the hair of Berenice, the sister and wife of Ptolomy
Euergetes, upon the occasion of Conoii having given oat
that it was changed into a constellation among the stars, to *
console the queen for the loss, when it was stolen out of
tbe temple, where she had consecrated it to the gods* ' ,
CONilART (Val£Ntin), secretary of the French king's
council, was born at Paris 1 603. The French Academy,
to which he was perpetual secretary, considers him as its
father and founder. It was in his house that this illustrious
society took its birth in 1629, and continued to assemble
till 1634; and be contributed much to render these meet-
ings agreeable by his taste, his a£EEibility, and politeness.
He therefore deservedly stiU enjoys a degree of celebrity
in the republic of letters, though he does not rank among
eminent scholars, being unacquainted with Greek, and
knowing but little of Latin. He published some pieces
of no great merit; as, 1. << Letters to Felibien," Paris,
1681, l2mo. 2. ^^ A treatise on oratorical action," Paris,
1657, 12mo, reprinted in 1686, under the name of Michel
le Faucheur. .3. ^^ Extracts from Martial," 2 vols. 12mo,
and a few otber trifles. He died Sept. 23, 1675, at the
age of 72. Conrart managed his estate without avarice
and without prodigality. He was generous, obliging, .and
constant in his friendships. He was in habits of intimacy
with tbe principal people in the several departments of the
government, who consulted him in the most important af-
fairs ; and, as he had a complete knowledge of the world,
they found great resources in his judgment. He kept in-
violably the secret of others, as well as his own. Being
brought up a protestant, he continued firm to bis profession.
It is said that he revised the writings of the famous Claude,
before they went to press. . Conrart w^s related to Godeau,
afterwards bishop of Vence, who, whenever he came to
town, lodged at his house : several men of letters came
there also, for the sake of conversing with the abb^ : and
this was the first origin of the acadepiy. '
CONRINGIUS (Hermannus), one of tbe eminent pub-
licists of Germany, and one of the most illustriotis orna-
pients of tbe German schools, was born at Embdeii Nov. 3,
} HuttoD'8 Math. Diet.— -Gen. Diet.— MorerK
I Moreri. — Diet. Hist.
16« C O H H I N 6 I U S.
lt06f 9mA Wfs educated at Leydeo, wiiere be made hioiaelf
acqaaUited with tiie whole circle of scicoees, but chiefly
applied to theology and medicine; and during his re^^^
dence here* is said to have been supported by Matthiais
OrerbelCy a Dutch neiiehaat, and by G. Calixtus, one of
jbhe ptofessors. His eminent attainments sopn procured
hiox disdn^ion ; and he was appointed professor, first of
Itataral philosppby, and afterwards of medipine, in the uni*
jvtersity of Brimswick. Turaiog his attention to the study^
of history and policy, he became so famous in these branches
of knowledge, as to attract the attention of princes. Chris^
tina, queen of Sweden, who professed to be a general pa^^
troness of learned men, invited Conrtngius to her court,
and upon his arrival received him with the highest marks of
respect. The offer of a liberal appointment coukl not,
however, induce him to relinquish the academic life, and
after a short time he returned to Juliers. But his uncom-
mon talents for deciding intricate questions on policy were
not long suffered to lie dormant The elector Palatine,
the elector of Mentz, the duke of Brunswick, the emperor
pf Germany, and Louis XIV. of France, all consulted and
conferred upon him honours and i^war^s. And, if univer-^
sai learning, sound judgment, and indefatigable applica*
tion, can entitle a man to respect, Conringius merited all
^ the distinction he obtained. The great extent of his abi-
lities and learning appears from the number and variety
of his literary producticins. His polemic writings prove him
to have been deeply read in theology. His medical know-
ledge appears from his ^^ Introduction to the medi<ial art,"
and his *^ Comparison of the medical practice of the ancient
Cgyptiand, and the nK>dem Paracelsians.*' The numerous
^reatis^ which he has left on tlie Germanic institution^ and
other subjects of policy and law, evince the depth c^nd ac-
curacy of his juridical learning. His book, ** De herme-
tica Medicina,^' and bis ** Antiquitates academica,*' discor
ver a porrect acquaintance with the history of philosophy.
It is tq be regretted, that this' great man was never able
wholly to disengage himself from the prepossession in fa-
vour of the Aristotelian philosophy, which he imbibed in
his youtn. Although he had the good sense to correct the
more barren parts of his philosophy, and was not ignorant
that his system was in $ome particulars defective, he still
looked up to the Stagyrite as the best guide in the pursuit
pf truth. It was owing to his partiality fqr ancient pbilo-
C O N R I N G I U S. 169
Wfky^ parttcularly for that of Aristotle, that Conringius
was a violent opponent of the Cartesiarf system. He died
Dec. 12, 1681. Jiis works were published entire in six
Totumes folioy Brunswick, 1730, which renders it unneces-
sary to specify his separate publications. Bibliographers place
a considerable value on his " Bibliotheca Augaista," Helm-
stadt, 1661, 4to, an account of the library of the duke of Bruns-
wick, in the castle of Wolfenbuttle, which then contained
2000 MSS. and 1 1 6,000 printed volumes. The history of
literature is yet more illustrated by his " De antiquitatibus
acmdemicts dissertationes septem," the best edition of which
is that of Gottingen, 1739, 4to, edited by Heuman, in all
respects a most valuable work. Of Conringius's enthusiasm
in the cause of learning, and his love of eminent literary
characters, we have a. singular instance, quoted by Dr.
Douglas, from Pechlinus's ** Observationes Physico-me-
dicae.*' It is there said, on the authority of his son-in-law,
that Conringius, when labouring under an' ague, was cured,
without the help of medicines, merely by the joy he felt
from a conversation with the learned Meibomius. *
CONSTABLE (Henry), an English poet of the 16th
century, is said to have been born, or at least descended
from a family of that name, in Yorkshire, and was for some
time educated at Oxford, but took bis bachelor's degree at
St. John's college, Cambridge, in 1579. Edmund Bolton,
in his " Hypercritica,*' Says, ** Noble Henry Constable
was a great master of the English tongue ; nor had any
fentleman of our nation a more pure, quick, or higher de**
very of conceit : witness, among aU other, that sonnet of
his before his Majesty's Lepanto." He was the author of
" Diana, or the excellent conceitful sonnets of H. C. aug-
mented with divers quatorzains of honorable and learned
personages, divided into eight decads,'* 1594, 8vo. Of
these sonnets Mr, Ellis has given three specimens, but
which he thinks can hardly entitle him to be denominated
^ the first sonneteer of his time." The most striking of his
productions is that entitled " The Shepheard's song of Ve-
nus and Adonis," which is elegantly and harmoniously ei5*
pressed. Mr. Malone, who reprinted it in the notes to thtt
loth volume of his Shakspeare, p. 74, thinks it preceded
Shakspeare's poem on the same subject, which it far excels^
. * MbrerL-^Bracker.-p-Morhoff Polyhift.— DoHglsw's Criterion, p. 170.—
Bibdin's Biblioniai^ia.-»SaxU Onomast.— Epistelaj, with his L'tfe. lielmbtadt.
1694, 4to.
170 CONSTABLE.
K.
at least in taste and natural touches. Of bis life, ^no me*'
morials have been discovered. Dr. Birch, in his Memoirs pf
queen Elizabeth, thought him to be the same Henry Con-.
stable, who was a zealous Roman Catholic, and whose re^
ligion seems to have obliged him to live in a state of ba*
nishment from England. Sir £. Brydges is inclined to the
same opinion. Constable afterwards came privately to
^London, but was soon discovered, and imprisoned in the
Tower of London, whence he was released in the latter end
of the year 1604. There was another of the name in the
early part of the 16th century, a John Constable, the
son of Roger Constable, who was bora in. London, and
educated under the celebrated William Lilye. From
thence he was sent to Byham Hall, opposite Merton col-
lege, Oxford, where, in 1515, he took the degree of M.A.
and was accounted at that time an excellent poet and rhe-
torician^ He obtained some preferment, but of that, or of his
subsequent history, w^ have no account. He published, in
Latin, ^^ Querela veritatis,"and " Epigrammata," 1520, 4to,
Like Henry Constable, he was of the Roman Catholic per-
suasion. ^
CONSTANTINE, usually called the Great, is memo-
rable for having been the first emperor of the Romans who
established Christianity by the civil power, and was born
at Naissus, a town of Dardania, 272. The emperor Con-
stantius Chlorus was his father; and was the only one of
those who shared the empire at that time, that did not per-
secute the Christians. His mother Helena was a womau of
low extraction, an4 the mistress of Constantius, as some
say; as others, the wife, but never acknowledged publicly :
^nd it is certain, that she never possessed the title of em-
press, till it was bestowed on her by her son, after the de-
cease of bis father. Constantino was a very promising
youth, and gave nvauy proofs of his conduct and courage ;
which however began to display themselves more openly a
little before the death of his father; for, being detained at
the court of Galerius as an hostage, and discerning .that
Galerius and his colleagues intended to seize upon that
part of the empire which belonged to his father, now near
his end, he made his escape, and went to England, where
I Warton's Hist, of Poetry, toI. III. S'JT, 280, 2«1, 286,292, 386.— Philips's
Theafcrum, by Sir E. Brydges, p. 228. — Ellis's Specimens. — Cens. Lit. I. 235.—
Bil)liofrrapber, vol. III. Helicon, p. xt.— 'Ath. Ox. vpl. I.-i-Lodge> lUaftrati^ns,
Tol. Hi — Dodd's Ch. Hist.— Tanaer.
CON STAN TIN E. 171
Constanttus then was. When he arrived there, he found
Constantaus upon his death-bed, who nevertheless was glad
to see faimi and nuned him for his successor. Constantius died
at York in 306, and Constantine was immediately proclaimed
emperor by the soldiers. Galerius at first would not allow
him to take any other title than that of Csesar, which did
not hinder him from reigning in England, Gaul, and Spain :
but having gained several victories over the Germany and
Barbarians, he took the title of Augustus in 308, with the
consent of Galerius himself. Some time after, he marched
into Italy, with an army of 40,000 men, against the em-
peror Maxentius, who had almost made desolate the city
of Rome by his cruelties ; and after several successful en-
gagements, finally subdued him* Eusebius relates, that
Constantine had pretested to him, t)iat he had seen in that
expedition a luminous body in the heavens, in the shape
of a pross, with this inscription, T£a vwa, *^ By this thou
sbalt conquer :'' and that Jesus Christ himself appeared to
hiip afterwards in a dr^am, and ordered him to erect a
iitandard cross-like; which, after his victory, he did in
the midst of the city of Rome, and caused the following
words to be inscribed on it : ^* By this salutary sign, which
is the (emblem of real power, I have delivered your city
from the dominion of tyrants, and have restored the senate
and people of Rome to their ancient dignity and splen-
dour." This, which is pne of the most striking events in
ecclesiastical history, has also been one of the most coii«-
tested. Gibbon endeavours to explain it thus :— While (says
this historian) his anxiety for the approaching day, which
must decide the fate of the empire, was suspended by a short
and interrupted slumber, the venerable form of Christ, and
the well-known symbol of his religion, might forcibly offer
themselves to the active fancy of a prince who reverenced
the name, and had perhaps secretly implored the power of
the God of the Christians ; and with regard to the credit
due to Eusebius, he thinks Eusebius sensible, that the re-
cent discovery of this marvellous anecdote would excite
some surprize and distrust amongst the most pious of his
readers. Much has certainly been said against t^ie credibi-
lity of this story by authors less prejudiced against the
Christian religion tb^n Gibbon. By 'some the whole is
regarded as a fiction, a stratagem and political device of
^k>nstantine, yet it is related by Eusebius, ft grave historian,
who declares that he had. it from the emperor, who pon-
172 C O N S T A N T I N E.
firmed the narration by an oath. By Fabricttts^ we am
told, that the appearance in the heavens vras generally
looked upon as a reality, and a miracle :» but for his own
part, he is inclined to consider it as the result of a natural
phenomenon in a solar halo ; he accordingly admits of the
reality of the phenomenon, but does not suppose it to be
properly miraculous. Upon a full and candid review of the
eTidence, Dr. Lardner seems inclined to doubt the rela-
tion given by the emperor, upon whose sole credit the
story is recorded, though it was twenty years afiter the
event, when Eusebius wrote his account, during which
period he must have heard it frequently from eye-witnesses,
]f the emperors relation were accurate that the appearance
was visible to his whole army as well as to himself. The
oath of Constantine, on the occasion, with Dr. Lardner,
brings the. fact into suspicion, and another striking circiun-
stance is that Eusebius does not mention the place where
this wonderful sight appeared. Without^ however, enter-
ing, at present, farther into the discussion, we may ob-
serve, that Eusebius has led us to the period, when the
sign of the cross began to be made use of by Constantine,
among his armies, and at bis battles; this was probably
the day before the last battle with Maxentius, fought on
the 27th of October, 312. About this period, it is ad-
mitted, that Constantine became a Christian, and con-
tinued so the remainder of his life, taking care also to have
his children educated in the same principles. His conver-
sion seems to have been partly owing to his own reflections
on the state of things, partly to conversation and discourse
with Christians, with whom, the son of Constantius, their
friend and favourer, must have been some time acquainted,
but perhaps, chiefly to the serious impressions of his early
years, which being once made can never be wholly obli-
terated. Constantine was however a politician as well as a
Christian, and he probably hit upon this method to recon-
/cile the minds of his army to the important change in
their religious profession and habits, as well as making use
iof it as a mean of success in his designs against his ene-
jnies, for which purpose he rightly judged, that the stan-
dard of the cross, and the mark of it as a device on his
soldier^s shields, would be of no small service.
Such appear to be the general sentiments of modern
historians on this subject. Others, however, find it mofli^.
difficult to dispute the fact. .<<He,V $ays Mr. Milner,
C O N S T A N T I N E. 173
^^ who is determined not to believe Christiaoity to be di«»
vine, will doubtless disbelieve this miracle^ from the same
spirit which has iadaced him to ha).rden his hieart against
much more striking evidence. With such a one i would
not converse on the subject. But to those who admit the
divine origin of Christianity, if any such doubt the. truth of
the miracle, I would say, that it seems to me nK>re reason**
^ble to admit a divine interposition in a case like this, espe-
cially considering the important consequences, than to
deny the veiracity oi Eusebius or of Constaotine. On the
foniier viiw, God acts like hui]iself, condescending to hear
prayer, leadiiig the mind by temporal kindness to look ta
Iml £ov spiritual blessings, and confirming the truth of ^ his
own religion ; ou the latter, two men not of the best, but
surely l>y no means of the worst character, are unreason-
ably suspected of deliberate perjury or falsehood/' Much
of this passage must be supposed to allude personally to
Gibbon ; but on the other hand, thece are certainly many
who^ believe Christianity to be divine, and yet cannot ac-
quiesce in this ipiracle ; not from a doubt that such might
have tak^n place in the order of providence^ but from a
If ant of ample testimony that it really did take place.
After Constantine had settled', the affairs of Rome^ he
went to Milao^ where he celebrated the marriage of his
sister with the emperor of the East, Licinius. I» this
town it was that these two emperors issued out the first
edict in favour of the Christian religion, by wbicb they
granted liberty of conscience to all their • subjects: and a
second soon after, by which they permitted the Christians
to hold religious assc«kblies in public, and ordered all the
places, where they had been accustomed to assemble, to
be given np to them. A war broke out in 314,, between
Constantine and Licinius, which subjected the Christians
to a perseeutiott from the latter; but after a battle or two^
in which neither had any reason to triumph, a peace en-^
sued^ and things returned to their usual course. Constan*
tine now applied himself entirely to regulate and adjust
the affairs of the churchb He called councils,, heard dia-<
Sates and settled them, and made laws in favom* of the
hristiaoa. In 324, another war broke out between these
two ea^perors ; the result of which was, that Constantine
at le»gth overcame Licininsi and pot him to deaths. He was
BOW sole master of the empire, without any controul, so
that tht Christians had every thing to hope, and apparentl^jr
17* C O N S t A N T I N fi.
nothittg to fear: nor were they disappointed. But the
misfortune was, that the Christians were no sooner secure
against the assaults of enemies from without, but they fell to
quarrelling among themselves. The dispute between Arius
and Alexander was agitated at this time ; and so very
fiercely, that Constantino was forced to cajl the council of
Nice to put an end to it. He assisted at it himself^ ex-
horted the bishops to peace, and would not hear the accu-
sations they had to offer against each other. He banished'
Arius and the bishops of his party, ordering at^the same
time his books to be burnt ; and made the rest submit to
the decision of the council. He had founded innumi^rable
churches throughout the empire, and ordered them to be
furnished and adorned with every thing that was neoeasaty.
He went afterwards to Jerosaleoi, to try if he could disco-'
ver the sepnlchre of Jesus Christ ; and caused a most mag^
nificent church to be built at Bethlehem. About this time
be gave the name of Constantinople to the town of Byzan*
tium, and endowed it with all the privileges, of ancient
Rome. After this he laboured more abundantly than ever
he had done yet, in aggrandizing the church, and publish-
ing laws against heretics. He wrote to the^ing oif Persia
in favour of the Christians, destroyed the heathen temples,
built a great many churches, and caused innumerable copies
. of the Bible to be made. In short, he did so much for re*
ligion, that he might be called the head of the church, in
things which concerned its exterior policy. The orthodox
Christians have nevertheless complained of him a little for
listening to the adversaries of Athanasius, and consenting,
as he did, to banish him : yet he would not suffer Arius or
his doctrines to be re-established, but religiously and con-
stantly adhered to the decision of the council of Nice;
It must needs, however, seem extraordinary, that this
emperor, who took such a part in the affairs of the Chris-
tians^ who appeared to be convinced of the truth and divi-
nity of their religion, and was not ignorant of any of its
doctrines, should so long defer being initiated into it by
the sacrament of baptism. " Whether," says Dupin, " -be
/ thought better not to be baptized till the time of his death,
with a view of washing. away, and atoning for all his sins at
once, with the water of baptism,' and being presented pure
and unspotted before God, or whatever his reasons were,'
he never talked of baptism till his last illness." When
that began, he ordered himself to be baptized ; and £use-
C O N S T A N T I N E. 175
bius of Csesarea relates, that the ceremony was performed
upon him by Eusebius bishop of Nicomedia.
He died io 337, aged 66 ; and divided the empire
among his three sons, Constantine, Constantius, and Con-
stans. Eusebius has written the life and acts of this em-
peror, in which he makes him «very thing that is great and
good : it is rather a panegyric than a life. Whatever great
and good qualities Constantine possessed, he certainly
possessed some which were neither great nor good ; and it
is allowed that he was guilty of many private acts of a very
atrocious nature.
Several epistles relating to ecclesiastical matters, written
^ either by hina, or in his name, are still extant ; as are his
several edicts, as well concerning the doctrines as disci-
pline of the church* Among these edicts is still to be
seen, the noted one by which he bequeaths to Sylvester
bishop of Rome, and to his successors for ever, the sove-
reignty of Rome and all the provinces of the Western em-
pire. But this, though it carries the name of Constantine,
is manifestly spurious ; and though it might be df some use
in supporting the authority of the Roman pontiff in dark
and ignorant ages, yet since the revival of letters it has
been given up even by the papists as a forgery too baro-
faced to be defended. ^ .
CONSTANTINE VII. (Porphyrogeneta), son of Leo
the Wise, was born at Constantinople in 905, and ascended
the throne at the age of seven years, under the tutelage of
his mother Zoe, the ilth of June 911. No sooner -had he
taken the reins of government in his hand, than he chas-
tised the tyrants of Italy, took Benevento from the Lom-
bards, and drove off, by means of money, the Turks who
were pillaging the frontiers of Epire ; but he afterwards
allowed himself to be entirely governed by Helena his wife,
daughter of Romanus Lecapenes, grand-admiral of the
enlpire. She sold the dignities of the church and the state,
burdened the people with taxes, and exercised towards
them every species of oppression, while her husband was
employing his time in readings and became as able an ar-
chitect and as great a painter as he was a bad emperor.
Romanus, the son of* this indolent prince by his wife He-
lena, impatient to govern, caused poison to be mingled
with some medicine prescribed to him ; but Constantine;
^ UoiT. Hiftory.— Mosheim and MUaer*8 Church Histories.— Gibhon^ His-
lory.— Lardner's Work?.— -CrcTier's Romaa Emperors.— Cave^ vol, I.— Saxii
UnonBasUcoDf
176 C O N S T A N T I N E.
having rejected the greater part of it, survived till a year
afterwards, and died Nov. 9, 959, at the age of 54, after
a reign of 48 years. This prince, the patron of learning,
and the friend of the learned, left behind him several work$
whicli would have^done honour to a private person. Tbo
principal of them are : 1 . The Life of the emperor Basilius
the Macedonian, his grandfather, inserted in the coUec*
tion of AUatius. It is sometiines deficient in point of trittb^
and savours too n>uch of the panegyrical. 2. Two boohs
of ** Themata,'' or positions of the provinces and tb^
towns of the euipire, published by father Bandutri in the
" Imperium Oriemale," Leipsic, 1754, folio- We have
few works preferable to this for the geography of the mid'^
die agesy particularly as to the state and condition of
places as tbey were in his time. 3, A Treatise on the
Affairs of the Empire ; in the above-mentioned work of
Banduri, containing the origin of divers nations, their
forces, their progress, their alliances, their revo^utionsy afid
the succession of their sovereigns, with other interesting
particulars* 4. *^ De re Busoca," Cambridge, 1704, 8vow
5, *< Excerpta ex Poly bio, Diodoro Siculo/' fcc. Paris^
1634,^ 4to. 6. ^< ExcerpU de legatis, Graec. & Lat." 1 64a,
fol making a part of the Byaantiiie historians. 7. <^ De
caeremoniis aulffi Byzantinae,** Leipsic, 1751, foUo. 8. A
Body of Tactics, 8vo. *
CONSTANTINE of Afri^^a, and surnamed the African,
waa born at Carthage in the eleventh century, an<l travel*
led into the east, where be lived thirty years, chiefly at
Babylon and Bagdad, studied the medical art, and inade
himself master of the Arabic and the other oriental Ian*
guages, and then returned to Carthage ; from whence he
went into Apulia, and lived at {leggio, and at last became
a monk of Monte Csi^ino. He is said to have been the first
that brought the Greek and Arabian physic into Italy
again. He compiled several books; and has given us a
translation of Isaac Israelitus on fevers, out of Arabic intd
Latin ; and another book, which be calls ^^ Loci Com*
munes," contains the theory and practice of physic, and is
chiefly co|Hed from Uali Abbas^ After a residence of
thirty-nine years at Babylon, he returned to Carthage, bat
toon feU into such disgrace with his countrymen, whom be
suspected of intending to destroy h>B», th%t he went to
* Univ. Hist, — ^MQferi.«^I>ut>in.<— Saxii OBomastitiOB.
CONSTANTINE. I7f
S»Ieni\iin. 'Thdugblfie waa tIi^re.iiitrodttced!l'aduke'Rd»>
b^cty who mshed to retaia hilu about bis person, preferring
a life of. ease and. retirement, he entered into a monasteiry
of the Benedictines^ St^fAgatha,. ia Avecsa, where he.diied
iaJ087.* .^
CONST ANTIN (Robert), doctor of physic, and pror
fessor of t\h beltesJettresin the university ofCa^n, was
bom in 1302, and acquired great reputation by his skill ia
the Greek, Latiii, alkd oriental languages. He lived /to
103 years of age, and, 'it is said, without any failure of
powers in either body or mind, died of a pleurisy in • 1 605^
hut others. have reduced. his age to 75. He has Mt, ^^ A
Lexicon, Greek and Lading'' better digested, as some think,
than that of Henry Stephens : Stephens^ ranging the Greek
words according to. thfc&r rootsj Conatantin in alphabetical
ocder.i , The first editioii, of little value, appeared in 156^,
but the best is. the second, Geneva, 1592, 2 vols, folio*
Those o£. Genev^. 1607 ^ and Leyden^ 1637, are only the
preceding with new Utle^-pages. His editions, with anno-^
tations, of the works of Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Celsus^
and Quintus 'Sereaus, gained him much credit. They
were published. between the years 1554 and 1566, as was
also his ^'Nomenclatorinsignium Scriptorum, quorum libri
extant, vel manuscripti vel impressi,'' 8vo.f
CONTANT (P^TEa),. an eminent French architect, was
bom. March 11, 16d8, at Ivri sur Seine. He studied draw*
iag under the celebrated Watteau, and having occasion
afterwards to go into the office of M. Dulin, an architect,
he made so great a progress in that art, as to be admitted
a member of the ao^demy at the age of twenty-eight. M.
CoQtant had more business than any other architect of his
^ime, if we may judge from, the great number of buildings
in which he was employed. Among these we may enume-*
rate, the houses of M. Grozat^de Tugny, and of M. Crozat
de Thiers; the stables of Bissey, where he first tried those
brick arches, which. einen to! connoisseurs • appear so bold
and astonishing ; the church of Panthemont ; the royal pa-»
Jace ; the amphitheatre at St. Cloud ; the church of Conde
in Flanders; Lta.Gouvernance at Lisle; the church de Ia
Madelene, which he' could not finish. He had a paralytic
stroke on the right side, three years before his death ; but
• * Moreri.— Haller, Bibl. Bot.— Cave, vo], Il-t^Saxii Onomast.
" • Mor^ri.— Clement Bibl. Curieuse.^-Saxii Onomast
Vo^X. . N
178 C O N T A N T.
J
during bis iihidw, and iiodi^ tanome tiis handy bapUmied
the eburch of St. Waast at Airas.. This be»iti£tti edifice
has been sw much admired as^tbe ohnecb of St. Madelene^
This celebrated artist died at Ppiity Oqtober J, 1777^ aged
79. He left a folio volume of his system of architectuve
engraved.^
. CONTARENI (Gmpak), a learned cardinal in the six*
teenth centary, ivas one of the ilkisticious. £unily of that
name at Venice, which has produced so many gp^eat men.
He was ambassador 'from the sepuUic to the empo'or
Chades V. and employed in several tmpostant negotiattons.
PauMIL created him cardinal 1535, sent him as: legate
into Germany, and^fterwards to Bnlegna. Oonltsreiii ^nus
eminent for bis learning, and skill in public affnm^ He
died 1542, at Bologna^ aged 59« He left several tbeolo*
gical works, written in. good Latvn^ and a treatise on. the
immortality of the Soot-, again^t'Poratponatios^ collected in.
one volume fol. 1571. His most esteemed work^ are, '* De
Optimi Antistitis o£ck>,'' and his notes^ on the obsenre
passages in St. Paul's epistles.<^
CONTARINI (Vinobnt), a. profisssor of eloquence at
Padua, who died at Venice, his nadve place, in 1617, at
the age of 40, coltivated. the- belles leures, like his friend
Muretus, with great application and success. Of the
sevemt WEOrks'be left behind him, the most esteemed are,
his tract ^^ l>e re frumentaria,'^ and that '< D<fe militari Ho^
manornm stipendio/^ Venice, 1609,: in 4to, both of them
against Ju.<tus Lipsius^ and his ^ VarisD Lectiones," '160(^
4U>, which contain very learned reqierks.'
CONTl <AasE Anthony), a noble Venetian, was bom
in 1678, and after a suitid>le education, travelled into mos|
of the countries of Europe^ and conciliated the esteem of
all men of tetters by the eietent of his knowledge and the
amiabieness of his manners. He- wrote some tr^gedieff^
printed at Lucca, 1765, which, however, were found more
agreeable in the closet, than interesting on the stage $ and
his poems are:rather unfinished sketches of the metaphy*
sical kind, than genuine productions of die muse. On
a visit he made to London, he formed a great intimacy
with sir Isaac Newton, who, though very reserved in ge«
i' • '
1 I/AvQcat't Diet. Hist
'« iDupin. — Freher} Theatram. — ^Blfont's Censura. — Life by Casa^ in ''.J.
Cas£e Monimenta,'* an4 iu Bates's Vitse Select Virorum.— *Clem. BibU Car^
Saxii Onomast ' Moreri.— Diet Hist*
C O N T L 179
vemly* used fireely to discourse with bim on his discoveries
irr the several braixches of science to which he was so hap-
pily devoted. He carried back with him into Italy a heart
and a mind entirely English. His works in prose and verse
were collected at yenice,» 1739, 2 vols. 4t09 and his post-
humous performances in 1756, 4to. Though the opuscula
of the abb^ Cxinti are no* more than embryos, as one of the
Itaii^tt journalists said of them, yet they give a very advan^
tageoos idea of their father. They consist of thoughts^
reflections, and dialogues on several important subjects.
The abb6 died in 1749. ^ *
CONTI (Armand DEBotlRftON), prince of, the second
son of Henry II. .prince of Cond^, first prince of the blood
royal of France, was bom in 1629, and appears to have
devoted himself to serious 'Studies from his infancy, bein^
at the age of sixteen able to dispute with learned divines
on theological topics. It was. probably this disposition
which' inclined his &fher to devote hitn to thechurch, and
to procure for him the abbeys of St. Dennis, Cluhi, &c. a
mode of preferment common in those days. But having
the misfortune to lose his father and mother in his infancy,
he abandoned his pious pursuits, and engaged in the civil
wars on the side which opposed the king; and became
above all things attached to theatrical amusements^
and even to the company of the players. In his twenty-
fourth year be married' a niece ci the cardinal Mazarine^
who zppesLn to have in some measure recalled bim to his
farmer way of thinking. After the troubles of the king*
dom had been composed,- and he received into favour, be
was made governor of the province of Languedoc, and
sent into Catalonia, to command the royal army as viceroy,
where he distinguished himself for bravery and prudence.
On his return from his last campaign, he had some con-
ferences with the bishop of Aiet, a man of great piety, who
effectually revived in htm the sentiments of bis youth, and
Irom this time the prince lived an example of regularity in
religions matters, such as was rare in his family, or in the
court. With respect to those of the reformed religion,
liowever, be extended" bis liberality no farther than the
strict letter of the law, and wfaenr any of them built churches
in his government, contrary to the king's edicts, he caused
them to be demolished, at the ^ame time endeavouring^
1 Diet. Hist.
N 2
180 C O K T I.
wlmt wad at that time a favourite object, to bring about an
.union between the catholics and protestants. His wealth
he employed in acts of benevolence, and his time in the
iustruction of bis children and dependents in piety and
virtue* He died at Pezenas in 1666, in the thirty-seventh
year of his age. His /^ Life and Works" were translated,
and published in English, in. 1711, 8vo.. The latter con-
sist of treatises on the duties of, the, great; on the obli-
gations of a governor of ,a province ; instructions for various
officers under government ; and two treatises against plays
and shews, with an appendix of the septiments of the
fathers, &c. on the same subject. ^
CONTI (GiusTO j>i), an Italian poet, of an ancient fa-
ipily, was. born about the end of the fourteenth, and died
•at Rin)ini about the middle of the fifteenth centaury. We
have few particulars of his life. He appears to have been
a. lawyer by profession, and being at Bologna in 1409, he
fell in love with the beauty whom he has celebrated in his
verses. There is a collection of his poems, much esteemed,
under the title of ^'La bella Mano," Paris, 1595, 12mo,
with some pieces of poetry by several of the old poets of
.Tuscany. This collection had been published for the first
time at Venice, in 1492, 4to, and the abb6 Salvini gave a
new edition of it at Florence in 1715, accompanied with
prefaces and annotations ; but thi&is not so complete as
.either the edition of Paris, or that of Verona, 1 753, in 4to.
He was a professed imitator of Petrarch, but, although not
destitute of merit, is greatly inferior to his model. * .
. CONTUCCI. See SANSOVINO.
CONWAY (Henry Seymour), an English officer and
statesman, the second son of Francis, first lord Conway,
.was born in 1720, and appeared first in public life in 1741
.as one of the kjiights for the county of Antrim, in the par-
.lia,ment of Ireland; and in the. same year was elected
for Higham Ferrers, to sit in the ninth parliament of Great
^Britain. He was afterwards chosen for various other places
'from 1754.to 178P, when he represented St.. Edmund's
Bury. In 1741 he was constituted captain-lieutenant in
the .fir^t regiment of foot-guards, with the rank Qf lieute-
:nant-colonei; and in April 1746, being then aid-de-camp
,to the duke. of Cumberland, he got the command of the
.forty-eighth regiment of foot, and the twenty^ninth in July
^ Life as above. — Diet. Hist > Diet. Hist.— Ginguene Hist. JaU d*Italie.
C O N W A Y. 18t
1749. He was constituted colonel of the thirteenth regi-
ment of dragoons in December 1751, which he resigned
upon being appointed colonel of the first, or royal regi-
ment of dragoons, Septembers, 1759. In January 1756
he was advanced to the rank of major-general ; in March
1759, to that of lieutenant-general; in May 1772, to that'
of general; and in October 12, 1793, to that of field
marshal. He served with reputation' in his several military
capacities, and commanded the British forces in Germany,
under prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, in 1761, during the
absence of the marquis of Granby. He was one of the
grooms of the bed-chiambor to George II. and likewise to
his present majesty till April 1764, when, at the end of
the session of parliament, he resigned that office and his
military commands, or, more properly speaking; was dis-
missed for voting against the ministry in t\\e question of
general warrants. His name, however, was continued in
the list of the privy counsellors in Ireland ; and William,
the fourth duke of Devonshire, to whom he had been se-
cretary when the duke was viceroy in Ireland, 'bequeathed
him at his death, in 1764, a legacy of 5000/. on account of
his conduct in parliament. On the accession of the Rock-
ingham administration in 1765, he was sworn of the privy
council, and appointed joint-secretary of state with the
duke of Grafton, which office he resigned in January 1768.
In February following, he was appointed colonel of the
fourth regiment of dragoons; in October 1774, colonel of
the royal regiment of horse-guards ; and in October 1772,
governor of the island of Jersey. On March 30, 1782, h%
was appointed commander in chief of his majesty's forces, '
which he resigned in December 1783. He died at his seat
at Park-place, near Henley upon Thames, Jdly 9, 1795.
General Conway was an ingenious man, of considerable
abilities, but better calculated to be admired in the pri-
vate and social circle, than to shine as a great public cha-
racteh In politics, although we believe conscientious, he
was timid and wavering. He had a turn for literature, and
some talent for poetry, and, if we mistake not, published,
but without his name, one or two political pamphlets. In
his old age he aspired to the character of a dramatic writer,
producing in 1789, a play, partly from the French, entitled *
" False Appearances," which was not, however, very suc-
cessful. His most intimate friend appears to have been .
the late lord Orford, better known as Horace Walpole,
182 G p N W A Y>
I
who was his cousin, and addressed to hiiu a considerable
part of those letters which form the fifth volume oif bis
Iprdship^s works. This correspondence commenced in
1740, when Walpole was twenty-three years old, and Mr.
Conway twenty. They bad gone abroad together with the
celebrated poet Gray in 1739, bad spent three months
together at Rheims, and afterwards separated at Geneva.
I^rd Orford's letters, although evidently prepared for the
press, evince at least a cordial and inviolable friendship
for his porrespondent,. of which also he gave another proof
in a letter published in defence of general Conway when
dismissed from his oiBces^ and a testimony of affection
yet o^ore decided, in bequeathing his fine villa, of Straw-
berry Hill to Mrs. Damer, general Conway^s daughter, for
her life. * .
CONYBEARE (John), a learned divine and prelate of
the church of ^England, was born at Pinhoe, near Exeter,
on the 3ist of January, 1 6a 1-2. His father wa& the rev.
John Conybeare, vicar of Pinhoe ; and his mother, Grace
Wilcocks, was the daughter of a substantial gentlecdan
farmer of that place. . At a proper age, he was sent to the
free-school of Exeter for grammatical education, where
Haliet and Foster, afterwards two eminent dissenting di-
vines, were his contemporaries. On the 23d of February^
1707-8, Mr. Conybeare was admitted a battler of Exeter
college, Oxford, under the tuition of Mr. Thomas Rennel,
afterwards Dn Rennel, many years rector of Drew^s
Teington, Devon. Mr. Conybeare, on his coming to the
university, was, according to the language of that place,
chum with Mr. Richard Harding, who was elected fellow of
Exeter colliege in 1709, and died rector of Marwood in
Devonshire, in 1782, in the ninety- fifth year of his age.
How early our ypung student obtained, the esteem of the
learned society with which he was connected, appears from
his having been chosen on the 30th of June, 17 10, and
a^dmitted on the 8th of July following, a probationary fel-
low of his college, upon sir William Petre's foundation, in
the room of Mr. Daniel Osborne. When he was proposed
as a candidate, it was only with the design of recommend-
ing him to future notice ; but such was the sense entem
tained of bis extraordinary merit, that he was made the ob«
* Sir E. Brydges'i edition of Collins'a Feerase.-.*Lord Qrford*8 Works, Pre-
face, an4 toI. V. |»as8iiii.
C O N Y B £ A R E. iSS
ject of iRHiiediate election. Mr. Harding used to say, that
Mr. Cooybeare had every way the advantage of him, ex*
cepting in seniority; and that be should have bad no
chance in. a competition with, him, if they had both been
eligible at the same time. The patronage of Dr. Rennel)
Mr. Conybeare's worthy tutor, concurred with his own
desert, in bringing him forward thus early to academical
advantages. On the 1 7th of Jul}', 1713, he was admitted
to the degree of bachelor of arts; and at the next election
of college officers, upon the 30th of June, 1714, he was
appointed prselector, or moderator, in philosophy. On
the 19th of December following, he received deacon's
orders from the hands of Dr. WUIiam Talbot, bishop of
Oxford ; and on the 27th of May, 1716, he was ordained
priest by sir Jonathan Trelawny, bishop of Winchester.
On the 16th of April, 1716, he proceeded to the degree of
master of arts ; soon after which he entered upon the cu«
ncy of Fetcham, in Surry, where he continued about a
year. He was advised to this change of scene for the
benefit of his healthy which was always delicate, and had
been greatly impaired by the intenseness of his application.
Upon his return from Fetcham to Oxford, he became a
tutor in his own college, and was much noticed in the ttni<>>
versigr as a preacher. In the beginning of the year 1722,
he published a sermon, which he had delivered before the
university, on the 24th of December preceding, from
Hebrews ii. 4, entitled ^^The nature, possibility, and cer*
tainty of Miracles, &c.^' This discourse was so well re*
chived, that it went through four editions. Mr. Cony-
beare was hence encouraged to commit to the press a se«
cond sermon, &om 1 Corinthians xiii. 12^ which he had
preached before the university, on the 2ist of October,
1724, . and the title of 'which was, '^ The Mysteries of the
Christian Religion credible^'* It is probable, that the
reputation our author gained by these discourses, recom*
mended him to the notice of the bishop of London (Dr.
Gibson), who appointed him one of his majesty's preachers
«t Whitehall, upon the first establishment of that institu-
tion. The esteem in which hisabiiities and character were
held, procured him, also, the favour of the lord chancellor
Macclesfield, who^ in May 1724, presented him to the
jrectory of St. Clement's in Oxford ; a preferment of no
great value, but which was convenient to him from his con-
sti^ot residence at that place, and from its being compatible
• 1
/
18i C O N y B E A R E.
jvitb ,bi£i fellowship. In 1725, be was chosen saiior proc«
tor^of the university, which oiBce he served in conjunctiou
with Mr. Barnaby Smyth, fellow of Corpus^Chriati college,
fvnd a scholar of eminence. In the same year, Mr. Cony-
b^are Was called upon to preach a visitation sermon before
the bishop of Oxford, at whose request it was published,
under the title of " The Case of Subscription to Articles
pf Religion considered," and obtained no small degree of
celebrity, being referi:;ed to in the controversy relatii^g to
subscription. The position of Mr. Conybeare is, that
^' every one who subscribes the articles of religion, does
thereby engage, not only not to dispute or contradict
them ; but his subscription amounts to an approbation of,
and an ^ssent to, the truth of the doctrines therein con-
tained, in the very sense in which the compilers are sup-
posed to have understood them.'' Mn Conybeare^s next
publication was aa assize sermon, preached at St. Mary's,
Oxford, in 1727, from Ezra vii. 26, and entitled ." The
Penal sanctions of l^ws considered." This discourse, was
dedicated by him to the honourable Charles Talbot, at
that tiipe solicitor-general, afterwards lord high chancellor
of Great Brits^in, who had honoured our author with the
care of bis two eldest sons, Mr. Charles Talbot, celebrated
by the poet Thomson, and the late earl Talbot, steward
of his majesty's household. On the lith of July, 1728,
Mr. Conybeare was admitted to the degree of bachelor of
divinity ; and on the 24th of January foUowing> be took
his doctor's degree. In the year 1729, be again appeared
from the press, in a sermon that had been preached before
the lord mayor and. aldermen at St. Paul's cathedral, and
which was entitled "The Eippediency of a Divine Revela-
itioa represented." It was acc^mp^tnied with a dedication
to bishop Talbot, father of tbe sf»licitor^general. From
Dr. Conybeare's introduction to this family, and the re-
putation be had acquired as a divine, it was expected that
he would sQon have been promoted to some dignity in the
church. But the good bishop was taken oif before be had
a proper opportunity of carrying bis benevolent intentions
in our author's favour into execution. In 1730, the bead-
ship of Exeter cqllege becoming vacant, by the death of
Dr. Hole, Dr. Conybeare was chosen to succeed him. His
competitor, on this occasion, was the rev. Mr. Stephens,
vicar of St. Andrew's, Plymouth, a truly worthy clergyr
mWf »and the author of several ingemous disoomrses.
C O N Y B E A R E. 185
NeTerthelessi as he bad retired early from the society, he
coatd not be supposed to carry such weight with him as
Dr. Conybeare, who had resided constantly in the college.
Ill this year Dr. Tindats famous deistical book had ap«
peared, entitled '^ Christianity as old as the Creation, or
the Gospel a Republication of the Law of Nature." This
work excited the greatest attention, and drew forth the
pens of some of the ablest divines of the kingdom, both in
the church of England, and among the protestant dissen-
ters. Bishop Gibson, who had himself engaged in the
controversy in his " Pastoral Letters," encouraged Dr.
Conybeare to undertake the task of giving a full and par?
ticular answer to Tindal's ptoduction. Accordingly, he
published in 1732, his <^ Defence of Revealed Religion,"
London, 8voj by which he gained great credit to himself^
and performed an eminent' service to the cause of Chris-*
tianityw- In his dedication to the learned prelate now men-r
tinned, he observes, that if he has pot succeeded in his
book according to his wishes, he may plead that it was
drawn up amidst a variety of interruptions, and under a
bad state of health. ** This," says he, << will in some sort
excuse the author, though it may detract from the per^
formahce." But Dr. Conybeare^s work did not stand in
need of an apology. It i$ distinguished by the perspi-
cuity of its method, and the strength of its reasoning ; and
is, indeed, one of the ablest vindications of revelation
which England has produced. So well wa^ the work re-
ceived, that the third edition of it was published in 1733.
Dr. Warburton jti^ly styles it one of the best reasoned
books in the world. It is likewise recommended by the
temper and candour with which it is composed. Dr. Cony-
beare's Defence will always maintain its rank, and perhaps
be thought to sustain the first place among the four capital
answers which ^Tindal received. The other three werej
Foster^s ^^ Usefulness, Truth, and. Excellency of the
Christian Revelation ;" Leland's *^ Answer to a late book,
entitled Christianity as old as the Creation ^" and Mr. Si-
mon Browne's ** Defence of the Religion of Nature and
the Christian Revelation."
Though Dr. Conybeare, by his promotion to the head-'
ship of Exeter college, had obtained a considerable rank in
the university, he did not, by the change of his situation,
make any addition to his fortune. Indeed, the emolu<«
ments of bis nevir place yr^te so small, that he n as inuch
186 C O N Y 8 E A R E.
rkhet is a prh^e fellow and tutor, tbaa ss the - gmremor
of his eoU^ge. It may be presumed that this circamstance
in party mod still mofse the reputation he had acquired by
his answer to Tindal, loduced the bishop of London, who
at that time had great influence in tlie disposal of, eccler
siastical pr^erments, to exert himself more Tigorously in
our author?s behalf. This the good prelate so effectually
did, that on the deAth of Dr. Bradshaw, bishop of Bristol^
and dean of Christ church, Oxford, in December, 1732^
Dr. Coiiybeare was appointed to succeed him in the latter
dignity. Accordingly the doctor was installed dean of
that cathedral in the month of January following. On
this joccasion, he resigned th^ headship of Exeter college ;
and not long after, he gave up likewise the rectory of St.,
Clement's, in favour of a friend, the rev. Mr. Webber, one
of the fellows of Exeter. On the 6th of June, 1 733, dean
Conybeare married Miss Jemima Juckes, daughter of Mr,
William Juckes, of Hoxton-rsquare, near London .; ^nd in
the same year he published a sermon, which he bad
pfeached in the cathedral of St. Peter, Exon, in August
1732, from 2 Peter iii. 16, on xh6 subject of scriptur^^
diScultiea. In the beginning of the next year, he had the
honour of entertaining the prince of Orange at the deanery
of Chrbt church. The prince^ who had come into Eng-
land tO: marry the princess royal, being desirous of visiting^
Oxford, and. some of the places adjacent, took up his resi->
dence at Dr. Conybeare's apartments ; and how solicitous
the dean was to treat his illustrious guest with a proper
splendour atld dignity, appears from hif. havihg received,
by the bands of one of her servants, the especial thanks
of queen Caroline on the occasion.
When in 1737, Morgan had published his '' Moral Phi-
losopher,^' the dean had it in contemplation to answer that
work^ so far as the general scheme of the writer might be
thought to deserve it ; and he had prepared many materials
for this purpose. The design, for what reason we knovi^
not, was never carried into execution; and the omission
mifty be regretted, though it must at the same time be ac^ ,
kqowledged, that Dr. Morgan was encountered by a numbev
of very able and 'successful antagonists. It is to the ho-
nour of dean Conybeare*s temper, that he expressed . hja
hope, that none of the animadverters on the '^ Moral Phi- .
losopher'' would be provoked to imitate bis scurrilities. In
173&, th.* iean was requested to preach the sermon at tbo
CONYBBARE. Ire?
/
t
annual meetidg of the several charity-niehoQlf in LoadoQ^
vbich he did from Galatiaos vL 9 ; and tlie discoufae waa
published. In 1747, he met with a great domestic afflio
tion, in the loss of his lady, who departed this life on the
29th of October, after their union bad subsisted not much
longer than fourteen years. When, on the SSth of April^
1749, a day of solemn thanksgiving was held, on account
of the treaty of Aix-la-Cbapelle, which had been signed
on the 18th of October in the preceding year. Dr. Cony-
beare was fixed upon to preach before the honourable house
of commons on thb occasion^ The subject was, ** True
Patriotism." '
Aa Dr. Conybeare was raised early in life to so conspi-
cuous a station as that of the deanery of Christ church,
it might have been expected, from his eminent merit and
learning, that he would sooner have been called to the
higher honours of his profession. But it is to be remem-
bered, that not long after his promotion to the deanery, his
good ftiend, the bishop of London, lost his influence at
c6urt ; and the lord diancellor Talbot dying in the year
1737, our author had mo particular patron to recommend
him tq royal favour. It was not, therefore, till the latter
end of 1750, that be attained the imtre; and this was
more owing to his acknowledged abilities and character,
than to any personal interposition. On the translation of
Dr. Joseph Butler to the see of Durham, Dr Conybeare
^as appointed to the bishopric of Bristol; and Was conse-
crated at Lambeth chapel, on the 23d of December. The
consecration sermon, which was soon afterwards published,
was preached by Francis Webber, D. D. rector of Exeter
college. The promotion of Dr. Conybeare to the prelacy,
whilst it raised him to the highest order of the church, and
enlargefd his sphere of usefulness, was injurious to his pri*
vate fortune. The slender revenues of his bishopric were
not equal to the expences which accrued from bis neces«
sary residence sometimet at Bristol, and sometimes at
Loildon *. Four discourses were published by our author
after be became a bishop. The first was the Easter Mon*
<bty sermon, in 1751, from Proverbs xL 17, before tbe^
* By a Ms letter froii^ Dr. tytfcel- he was bwhop, except one Urn of wt'
|0B,< afterwards bishop of Carlisle, we guineas, which was all he reoehrod.
leant that bishop Conybeare made no Bishop Newton's account of this bi«
nore than d30/. clear per annuni of sbopric is, we belieTe» nmch the SttM*
Uiis bishopric 4uring; the whole time
1 88 C O N Y B E A R E.
lord mayor and aldermen of the city of London, in which
die virtue of being merciful was stated and enforced. The
second was preached before the house of lords, on the *
1 1th of June, in the same year, from Psalm IxxviiL 72,
upon occasion of his majesty's accession to the throne:
the subject treated of, was civil government The third
was from Matthew xviii. 10, 11, in favour of the Irish pro-
testant schools ; and the fourth, from James i. 27, was be-
fore the sons of the clergy, at Bristol. Both these dis-
courses were printed in 1752. It may be observed, with
regard to the twelve single sermons published by our pre-
late, that they were not vague, declamatory essays, calcu*
lated only to answer a present purpose, but judicious and
solid compositions, in which important topics were dis-
cussed with great perspicuity of method and language, and
with equal strength of reasoning ; so that it is not a little
to be regretted, that they have not been collected toge-
ther in a volume. Dr. Conybeare did not long enjoy a
good 6tate of health, after his being raised to the bishopric
of Bristol. He was much af&icted with the gout ; and,
having languished about a year and a half, was carried off
by that disorder at Bath, on the 13th of July, 1755. He
was interred in the cathedral church of. Bristol, where^
some time after his death, an inscription was erected to
his memory.
Bishop Conybeare had by his lady five children, three
of whom died in their infancy. A daughter and a son sur-'
vived him. The daughter, Jemima, departed this life at-
Oxford, on the 14th of March 1785. The son, William,'
is the present Dr. Conybeare. As our worthy prelate died^
in but indifferent circumstances, and consequently left be-
hind him a very slender provision for his children^ it was
proposed by some friends of the family, to publish two
volumes of sermons by subscription. The scheme suc-
ceeded so w^U that the number of subscribers amounted to
nearly four thousand six hundred^ persons, many of whom-
t(K>k mor^ than one copy. Such an almost unparalleled
subscription can only be accounted for from Dr. Cony-
beare*^ numerous connections, in consequence of his having'
presided over such a society as that of Christ-church, with
the greatest reputation, for twenty-two years and a half;
from the^eneral estimation in which his abilities and cha-
racter were held in the world, among men of all denomi-i-
nations] and from the disinterestedness of his temper m'
C O N Y B E AR E. 189
^akiBg but a small provision for his family. Besides this,
his majesty, king George 11. was pleased, in cpnsideration
* of the bishop's merits, to bestow upon the family, for the
life of miss Jemima Conybeare, a pension, .the clear pro-
diice of which wa3 about one hundred pounds a year.
Dr. Conybeare's connection with bbhop Gibson, and
the Talbot family, has already been mentioned* Amongst
his most intimate private fnends may be reckoned Dn
Hayter, successively bishop of Norwich and London, Dr.
Atwell, and the famous Dr. Bundle (afterwards bishop of
Derry.) . The latter gentleman is understood to have been
instrumental in recommending our author to the notice of
tb.e Talbots^ There subsisted, likewise, a great intimacy
between Dr. Conybeare and Dr. Seeker. When Seeker
entered himself a gentleman commoner at Exeter college,
with a view of taking a degree at the university of Oxford,
Mr. Conybeare was appointed his nominal tutor. The
present Dr. WiUiam Conybeare enjoys the rectory of St.
Botolph- s, Bishopsgate, as an option of archbishop Secker^s.
. Bishop Cpnybeare's character appears to have been^ in
every view of it, respectable and excellent. Whilst he
wafli a firm and faithful adherent to th6 doctrine and con-
stilution of that church of which he was so great an orna-
ment, he was caqdid in his sentiments, and friendly in hit
conduct with regard jto the protestant dissenters. *
COOK (Jam£s), an eminent navigator^ and justly the
pride of his country in that character, was born at Marten
in Cleveland, a village about four miles from Great Ayton,
in tbe.coujDty of York, and was baptised there, as. appears
from the parish regisiier, Npv. 3, i7j^S. His father, whose
name, was likewise James, was a day*labourer to Mr. Mew-«
burn,, avery respectable farmer, and lived in a small cot-
tage, the walls .chiefly of mud, as was generally tbi^ case at
that time. in the northern parts of the kingdom. In 1730,
when our navigator was about two years old, his father re-
moved with his family to Great Ayton,* ^nd was employed
as a bind to. the late Thomas Scottovire, esq. haying the
charge of a considerable farm in that neighbourhood known
by .the name of Airy holm. '
As/theiatber continued long in that trust, captain Cook
was. employed in assisting bim. in various kinds, of hus-*
bandry suited to his years until the age of thirteen, when
■.'■.. • . "
' Biog. Brit.— Leland's Deistical Writers.'
190 COOK.
he^was put under the care of Mr. PuUen, a sdioblmart6r9
who taught at Ayton, where he learned arithosetic, bbok*
keeping, &c. and is said to bare ahewn a very early genius
for figures. About Jaauary 1 745, at tke age «f seventeen^
his father bound him apprentice to Williaaa Saunderaon for
four years^ to leani the j^rocery and haberdashery business,
at Soaithy a populous nsbing^town about ten miles from
Wiiitby ; but after a year and half's servitude, having con-*
tracted a very strong propensity to the sea (owing, pro*
bably, to the maritime situation of the place, and the great
number of ships almotit constantly passing and' repa^ssing
within sight between London, Shields, and Sunderland)^
Mr. Saunderson was willing to indulge him in following
the bent of his inclination^ and gave up his indentures;
While he continued at Snaitii, by Mr. 8aunderson*s uc*
count, he discovered much solidity of judgment, and was
remarkably quick in accounts. In July 1 746 he was bound
apprentice to Mr. J. Walker, of Whitby, for tiie term of
three years, which time he served to his master's full satis-
fiiction. He first sailed on board the ship Freelove, bur«
then about 450 tons, chiefly employed in the coal trade
from Newcastle to London. In May 174d, Mr. Walkcfr
ordered him home to assist in rigging and fitting for sea^a
ine new ship, named the Three Brothers, about 600 tons
burthen. This was designed as a favour to him, as it
would greatly contribute to his knowledge in his -business.
In this vessel he sailed from Whitby in the latter end of
June. After two coal voyages, the ship was taken into the
^rvice of government, and sent as a transport to Middle*
burgh, to carry some troops from thence to Dublin. When
these were landed, another corps was taken on boards and
brought over to Liverpool. From thence the ship pro-
ceeded to Deptford, where she was paid off in April L749j
The remaining part of the season the vessel was employed
in the Norway trade.
In the spring of 1 750, Mr. Cook shipped himself as a sea-?
man on board the Maria, belonging to Mr. John Wilkin-
son, of Whitby, uqder tbe command of captain Gaskin. In
her he continued all that year in the Baltic tmde. Mr.
Walker is of opinion he left this ship in the winter, and
sailed the following summer, viz. 1751, in a vessel belong*
ing to Stockton ; but neither tbe ship's namot nor that of
the owner^ is now remembered by Mr, Walker. Early in
February 1752^ Mr. Walker sent for|iim, and made bisk
C 0 OK. 191
mftte of onexriFlus vessek, called the Fnetuhhip, aliont 406
torn .burtbea. In tbts station he contiDwed till May oflr
Juae, 17JS, in the coal trad«« At ihat period Mr. Walfcer
Blade \nm aa 6ffer to go cooiinander of that ship ; bat he
declined it^ soon after left her at London^ and entered on
board his majesty^ s ship Eagle, a frigate of 28 or 30 gnnsi
^< having: a mind/' as he expressed himself to bis master,
to '^ try his fortune that way.'^ Not long after, he applied
t0 Mr. Walker lor a letter of recommendation to the cap-
tain of the. frigate, whish was readily granted* On tise
feceipt of this he got some small pcefarment, which he
gnuteftilly acknowledged, and ever retnembened. Some
time after,, the Eagle sailed with anodier frigate on a
crnis^ in. which they wece very successfuL After this
Mr« Walker beard no more of Mr. Cook until August 1758^
when he received from him a letter dated Pembroke, be*
foM Lenishiirgh, July 30, 1758, in which be gave a dis*>
tinet acconot of our success in that expedition, but doek
not say. what station he then filled.
He received a commission, as lieutenant, on the first day
of April 1760; and soon after gave a specin^n of those
abilities which recommended htm to the commands whiek
he executed so highly to his credit, that his name will go
down to posterity as one of the most skilful navigatonf
which this country has produced. In 1765 he was widi
sir William Buroaby on the Jamaica station ; and that of-
ficer having occasion to send dispatches to the governor of
Jucatan, relative to the logwood*cuttersin the bay of Hon*
duras, lieutenant Cook was selected for that employment }
and be performed it in: a manner which entitled him to dbe
approbation of the admiral. A relation of this voyage and
journey was published in t769, under the title of ^^ Be-*
marks on a passage ^ from the river Balise in the bay of
Honduras, to Merida, the capital of the province of Jnea-^
tan,' in, the Spanish West-Indies, by lieuitenant Cook/' in
an 8 vo pamphlet. "
• To a perfect knowledge of all the duties bebcigihg to a
sea-life, Mr« Cook had added a great skill iu astronomy^
In 1767 the royal society resolved, -that it would be pcoper
to send persons into some part of the South Seas, to ob«
s^ve the transit of the planet Venus over the sun's disk ;
and by a memorial delivered to bis majesty, they recom**
mended the islands of Marquesas de Mendoza, or those of
Eotterdam or Amsterdam, as the properest plaqe> tb^q
192 COOK.
.known for making such observation. To this roeiiioriftl a
-£»v6urable. answer was returned ; and the Endeavour, a
^ip built for the coal-trade, was put in commission, and
the. command of her given to lieutenant Cook. But before
the vessel was ready to sail,- captain Wallis returned from
Jiis voyage, and pointed out Otaheite as a place more pro<*>
per for the purpose of the expedition than either of those
mentioned by the royal society. This alteration was ap4
proved of, and our navigator was appointed by that learned
body, with Mr. Charles Green, to observe the transit.
On. this occasion lieutenant Cook was promoted to be
captain, and bis commission bore date the 25th of May
.1768. He immediately hoisted the pendant,- and took
command of the ship, in which he sailed down the river
on the 30th of July. In this voyage he was accompanied
by Joseph Banks, esq. (since sir Joseph, bart< knight of the
bath, and president of the royal society) and Dr. Solander.
On the 1 3th of October he arrived at Rio de Janeiro, and
on the 13th of April 1769 came to Otaheite, where the
transit of Venus was observed in different patts of the
island. He staid there until the 13th of July, after which
he went in search of several isltinds, which be discovered*
tie. then proceeded to New Zealand, and on the 10th of
lOctober 1770, arrived at Batavia with a vessel almost
worn, out, and the crew much fatigued and very sickly.
The repairs of the ship obliged him to continue at this im-
healthy place until the 27th of December, in which time
hjet lost many of his seamen and passengers, and more in
the passage to the Cape of Good Hope, which place he
reached on the 15ih of March 1771. On the 14th of April
be left the Cape,, and the 1st of May anchored at St. He-
lena, from whence he sailed on the 4th, and came to an-
chor in the Downs on the 12th of June, after having been
absent almost three years, and in that time had experienced
every danger to which a voyage of such a length is inci-
dent, and in which he had made discoveries equal to .those
pf all the navigators of his country from the time of Co-
lumbus to the present. The narrative ^f this expedition
was written by Dr. Hawkeswortb, who, although the fiicts
contained in it have not been denied, nor the excellence
of the .-composition disputed, was, on its publication^ treated
with peculiar severity, owing to' some opinions' on die na-
ture of providence, v.4iich Dr. Hawkeswortb incautiously
advanced.
C O (J Ki i9i
'- 'Soon after captain Cook's return id England^ rt ^as f6-^
tolled to equip two diips to complete the discot^ry of th^
s6dtfaern hemispherie. It had long beet) a prevailing idea^
that the wfiexpiored part oontained another continent ; and
Alexander Dairymple^ e^c}. a gentlemati of great skitl and
an enterprising spirit^ had been very firmly persuaded of
its existence. To ascertain the fact was the principal 6b^
ject of thisf expedition ; and that nothing might be omlfted
that codld tend to facilitate th^ enterprise, two ships v^&fe i
provided, furnished with every net^essary which conid pro-
mote the success of the nnctertaking. The first of these
ships was called the Resolution, utider the <;omniand of
captain Cook ; the oth^^ the Adventure, commaiided by
captain Furneaux* Both of them saited from Deptford oii
the 9th of April i7l2f and Arrived at the Cape of Good
Hope on the 90th of Oetbber. They depsfrted hoxh thence
on the 22d of Noveihber, and frodi tbsct tiMe until the
1 7th of January l77Sy contained ^ndeavodring to discover
the continent, when they were obliged to relinquish the
design, observing the whole i^a C^verdd with ice from the
direction of S. E. round by the somh to west. They* theft
proceeded into ttie Sooth Seas^ and madd inany other dis-
coveries, and retilrmed to the Gape of G6^ Hope on the'
21st of March 1774, aftd frotfl thefi^e tta England oh the ,
1 4th of July ; haviirg during thtee yeart and eighteen
days (in which time the voyage wad performed) lost but
one* man by sickness,- in captain Codk'i^ ship; although
be had navigated throughout all the (Climates fronft fifty-two
degrees north to seventy-one' degrefes south, with a com-
pany of an hundred and eighteen m<6n. Ttie relation of
this .voyage was given to the poblic by captain Cook him-''
self, and by Mr. George FoWCftr, son of Dr. Forstef, who
had been appointed by governftieAt to afecompany him for
the purpose of making obseytations on ^u€h natural pro-
ductions as might be foand in the course of the' navigatiofk ^
but the publication was superinteYided by I>r. Douglas, the
late bishop of Salisbary.
The want of success which attended cafptain CookV at-
tempt to discover a southefi^ oofitinent, did not discourage
anotlYer plan being, resolvfed ott. Which hiad beet^ recom-
* This was a conBumpiion termU. a cough and other consumptive symp-.
naCing in a dropsy. l^Ir. Patten, sur- toms, which had never left him, that
f eon of IJhe Resolatbn, observed that Ms long? nlust have been ' Kffected be-
this npAn began-so e|ii-ly to' cooipilrin of fore he came on board.
Vol. X. O
194 COOK.
mended sottie time before. This was no other than the
finding out a north-west passage, which the fancy of some
chimerical projectors had conceived to be a practicable
scheme. The dangers which our navigator had twice
braved and escaped from, would have exempted him froxn
being solicited a third time to venture his person in un-
known countries, amongst desert islands, inhospitable cli*
mates, and in the midst of savages ; but, on his opinion
being asked concerning the person who would be most
proper to execute this design, he otice more relinquished
the quiet and comforts of domestic life, to engage in scenes
of turbulence and confusion, of difficulty and danger. His
intrepid spirit and inquisitive mi^>d induced him again to
offer his services ; and they were accepted without hesita-
tion. The manner in which he had deported himself on
former occasions left no room to suppose a fitter inan
could be selected. He prepared for his departure with
the utmost alacrity, and actually sailed in the month of
July 1776.
A few months after his departure from England, not-
withstanding he was then absent, the Uoyal Society voted
him sir Godfrey Copley's gold medal, as a reward for the -
account which he had transmitted to that body, of the me*
thod taken to preserve the health of the crew of his ship :
and sir John Pringle, in an oration pronounced on the 30th
of November, observed, " How meritorious that person
must appear, who had not only made the most extensive,
but the most instructive voyages ; who^had not only d is*
coveredr but surveyed vast tracts of new coasts ; who had
dispelled the illusion of a terra australis incognita, and
fixed the bounds of the. habitable earth as well as those pf
the navigable ocean in the sonthern hemisphere ; but that,
however ample a field for praise these circumstances would
afford, it was a nobler motive that had prompted the so-
ciety to notice captain Cook in the honourable manner
which had occasioned his then address.'' After descanting
on the means used on the voyage to preserve the lives of
the ^saiTo^s, he '^concluded his discourse in these terms :
" Allow me then, gentlemen, to deliver %\i\i medal, with
his unperishing name engraven upon it, i^to the hands pf
one who will be happy to receive that trust, and to bear
that this respectable body never more cordially, npr^ move
meritoriously, bestowed that faithful symbol of their esteem
and affectioi^. For if Rome decreed the civic crbwh to
, COOK. 195
him who isaved ttie life of a, single citizeti, what wreaths are
due to that man who, having himself saved many, perpe-
tusifteft tn your transactions the means by which Britain may
WoV> on the most distant voyages, save numbers of her in-
trepid sons, her mariners ; who, braving every, danger,
have so liberally contributed to the fame, to thie opulence,
and to the maritime empire of their country ?"
It will give pain to every sensible mind to reflect, that
this honourable testimony to the merit of our gallant com-
mander never came to his knowledge. While his friends
were waiting with the most earnest solicitude for tidings
concerning him, and the whole nation expressed an anxi-
ous impatience to be informed of his success, advice was
received from captain Clferke *, in a letter dated at Kamt-
shatca, the 8th day of June 177.9; from which and from
other accounts, we learnt, that captain Cook was killed on
the 1 4th of February 1779. His death happened in the
following manner ; which we shall give in the words of Mr.
Davi4 Samwell, surgeon of the Discovery.
** Some of the Indians of pu,why,ee in the night took
away the Discovery's large cutter, which lay swamped at
the buoy of one of her anchors : they had carried her off
so quietly that we did not miss her till the morning, Sun-
day, February 14. Captain Clerke lost no time in waiting
upon captain Cook to^ acquaint him with the accident : he
returned on board, with orders for the launch and small
cutter to go, undqr the command of the second lieutenant,
and lie off the east point of the bay, in order to intercept
-all canoes that might attempt to get out ; and, if he found
it necessary, to fire upon them. At the same, time, the
third lieutenant of the Resolution, with the launch and
small cutter, was sent on the same service, to the opposite
point of the bay; and the master was dispatched in the
large cutter, in pursuit of a double canoe, already under
sail,, making the best of her way out of the harbour. He.
soon came «p with her, and by firing a few musquets
' drove her gn shore, and the Indians left her : this happened
to be the canoe of Omea, a man who bore the title of
prono. He was on board himself, and it would have beeir
fortunate if our people had secured him, for his person
• : - «> Captain Clerke went out a mid- -who died about three weeki before tha
•bipnian with captain .Cook, iii his first ship arrived in Bh^IkikI. Se^HaWltes-
voyage, and was a)>poihtcd by him a worth't Vayag«, toU Ut p. 393.
^ iieatfiiant on the deatli of Hr. Uitks,
0 2
V
19^ COOK.
was beld as sacred as tb$it o£ the king. During this time
captain Cook was pTepariog to go^ ashpile hwaeif at the
town of Kavapoafay iw order to secure the pefsaa of Kario-
poo, Wfore he should h^ye tim^ to withdraw hioiself to»
auothfer part o{ the island omI; of our reach. This appeared
the most efitsctual sttep that qould be taken oti the present
occasion, for the reeoyery of the boat. It waft the m^a-
suffe he had invariably p^ursued^ in sunilar cases^ at other
islands ia these sea^, and it bad always been attended with
the desiired suijcess : ya hcX, it would be difiicuk ta poittt.
out any othec mode ©f pi?oceeding on th#se emergencies,-
likely to attain, the object in view. We bad Feason to sup-
pose that the king and bi3 attendants had fled when the
alarm was first given : in that cas6, it was captain Cc^okV
intention to secure the large canoes v?hicb were hauled up*
on the beach* He left the ship about sev^n q'clpck, dA-
tended by the lieutenant of marines, a serjea^V co!i:pcra]>
and aeveit private men : the pinnace's crew we^e alsot
armed, and under the. command of Mr. Roberts. As they:
rowed towards the shore, captain Cook ordered the launch
to leave her station at the west point of the bay, in order
to assist his own boat. This is a circumstance worthy o£
notice ; for it clearly shews, that he was not unapprehen-
site of meeting with resistance from the natives, or un-.
mindful of the necessary preparation fer the safety of him*
self and his. people. I will venture ta say, that from the
appearance of things just at that time, there was npt one>
beside himself, who judged that such precaution was abso*
hitely requisite : so Uttle did his eondmct on the occasioa
bear the marks of rashnesaor a. precipitate self-oottfiden«e-l
He landed, with the marines, at the upper end of the
town of Kavaroab ; the Indians immediately flocked rounds
.as usual, and sbewe.d him the customary marks of respect^
by prostrating themselves before him. There were no-
signs of hostilities,, on much alarm among them. Captain
Cook, however, did not seem willing to trus4^ ta appearr
s^nces:; but was portieujsurly attentive to the. disposition of
the marines, and to have them kept clear of the crowd.
He first inquired for the king's sons, two youths who were
much, attached to him, and generally his compamons oiv
board. Messengers being sent for them, they soon came
to him ^. and infarming him that their father was asleep, at
a house not tar from them, he accompanied them thither^
and took the marines along with them. As he -passed
€ 0 O R a9f
9i9/o^^ the mmiiyBB ievbty nrhere prosttated themselves bc^
tote hmOf and seemed to have lost no part of that respect
4iiey :had always shewn to kis person. He was joined by
^Fesal dl•efs^ among wfaom was Kanynahy and hi^ farotfaer
Kecdiownmfah. They faept the crowd in order, •actordtug
to their usdal cdstotn ; and being ignorant of hn intention
in coaaing oa sbere, fjnequetHly asked kiaa, if lie wanted
^y hogs, or other proriskms : hetdldtbem^ %bat he did
«ot,: and d3at.his business wtis. to see the king. When he
andted at'die bonse^ he ordeted some of tbe.IsdianB tego
in and inform Kariopoo, that he waited without to sptek
with him. They eamo out two or three thnes, land ih^tead
of returning any answer from the king, presenftetl Idmis
pieces of red ck>th to him, which nmde captein "Cook
•aspect that he was -not ih the hons^ ; he therefore dfesihard
the lieotenant of marines to go in. The lieutenant found
tl|e d;d man just awaked £rom steep, and seemingly alarmed
at the message } but he came out without ihmtation. Ca^
uAn Cook took him by th^ hand, and iti a frietidly tanammr
asked him to go on boat*d, to which he very teadily *ooii-
sented; Tfarns far matters appeared m a favourable train,
and the natives did not seem much alankied or appteben^
siire of hostility, on oar side ; at which tsaptaih Cook* eat^
preased himself a Uttle surpris^d^ ^s^yhig, that as the inha-
bitants of that town appeared innocent of stealing t(ie cut^^
ter, be should not molest them, but that he must get tiife
king onboard. Kariepoo sat- down before !his door, iind
waa suoroanded by a gireat crowd t Kanynah and hit brothet
were both vei^lactivetii'keeptilg order among them. In
a lit^ time, however, the Indians were -obsem^d arming
themselves with long spears, ; olubs^ and daggers, ahd put^
ting on thkk mats, which they ase as airhiour. / This hostile
sqppearsmce increased, and beoame more alarming, on tho
arrival of two ns^n in a canoe fr6m the i^posite side of the
bay, with the news of a chief> called Kareemoo, having
been killed by one of the Discotery^s boats, in their pas-
sage across : they had also delivered this account to each
of the shipsi^ Upon that information'^ the women, who wer^
sitting upo^ the beadii at th^ii^ breakfast, and conversing fa-
miliarly with omr .people iii the boats, retired, and a con^
fused muriaur spread through /the crowd. . An old priest
came to captain Cook, with a cocoa nut in his hand, which
he held out to him as a present, at the skme time singing
v€ty lond# . He wtM often desired to be silent^ but in vain :
AM COOK.
he continued importunsite and trooblesome, and there was
no such thing as getting rid of him or his noise : it l^eemed
-as if he meant to divert their attention^from his country-
men, who were growing more taoraltuous, and arming
themselves in every quarter. Caj^in Cook, bdng at the
same time surrounded: by a great crowd, thought his siftua*
tion rather hazardous : he therefore ordared the lieutenant
of marines to mardi his small ])arty to the water*side,
' where the boats lay within a few yards of the shore : .the
Indians readily made a lane for them to pass, and did not
.offer to interrupt them. The dktance they had to go might
be fifty or sixty yards; captain Cook followed, having
hold of Kariopoo*'s hand, who accompanied him veiy will-
ingly : he was attended' by his wife, two sons, and seve-
ral chiefs. The troublesome old priest followed, making
the same savage noise. Keowa, the. younger son, went
directly into the pinnace,, expecting his father to foUojir;
but just as- he arrived at the water-side, his wife threw her
arms about.his neck, and, with the assistance of two chiefs,
^forced him to sit down by the side of a double canoe. Cap-
,tain Cook expostulated with them, but to no purpose : they
would not suffer the king to proceed ; telling ham he would
he put to death if he went on hoard the ship. KarK>poo9
whose conduct seemed entirely, resigned to. the will of
others, hung down his head, and appeared much dis-
tressed.
' While the king was. in this situation, a chief, well known
to us, of the itame of Coho, was observed near, with an
iron dagger, partly concealed under his eloke, seemin^y
with' an intention of stabbing captain Cook, or the lieute-
nant of marioes. The latter proposed to fire at him, but
captain Cqok . would not peraut it. Coho closing upon
them, obliged the officer to strike him mth his piec^
which made him retire. Another Indian laid bold of the
serjeant^s musket, and endeavoured to wrench it from him,
but was prevented by the lieutenant-s making a blow at
him. Captain Cook, seeing the tumult increase, and the
Indians growing more daring* and resolute, observed, that
if he were to take the king off by force, he could not do. it
without sacrificing the lives of many of bis people. He
thcjn jpaused a little, and was on the point of giving his
orders to reiinbark, when a man threw a stone at him,
which he returned with a discharge of small shot, with whic^
one barrel of his double piece was loaded* The man, hav*
0 O O K. 19»
f
*lngft thick mat before him, i^eived little or no hurt: he
tnrftftdis^hed his spear, and threatened to dart it at captain
Cook, vfho being stiil unwilling to take away his life, in-
stead of firing with ball, knocked him down with his mus-
ket ile expostulated strongly with the most forward of
the crowd, upon their turbulent behaviour* He had given
up all thoughts of getting the king on board, as it appeared
impraiaicabie ; and his care was then only to act, on the
defensive, and to secure a safe embarkation for his small
party, which was closely pressed by a body of several thou^
sand people^ Keowa, the king's son, who was in the pin-
:nace, being alarmed on hearing the first firing, was, at
fata own entreaty, put on shore again; — for even at that
trnoie Mn R(rf>ert8, who commanded her, did not appre-
-^hend thatcaptain Cook's person was in any danger, other-
wise be vinould have detained the prince, which no doubt
would have been a great check on the Indians. One man
was observed, behind a double canoe, in the action of
darting his spear at captain Cook ; who was forced to fire
at him in his own defence, but happened to kill another
close to him, equally forwi^ d in the tumult : the serjeant,
observing that he had missed the man he aimed at, received
orders to fire at him, which he did, and killed him. By
this time the impetuosity of the Indians was somewhat re-
pressed r diey fell back in a body, and seemed staggered ;
but being pushed on by those behind, they returned to
the charge, and poured a volley of stones among the ma-
rines, who, wi^out waiting for orders, returned it with a
general discharge of musketry, which was instantly fol-
lowed by a fire from the bdats. At this captain Cook was
heard to express his astonishment : he waved his hand to
the boats, called to them to cease firing, and to come
nearer in to receive the marines. Mr. Roberts immediately
brought the pinnace as close to the shore as he could with-
out grounding, notwithstanding the showers of stones that
teH among the people : but Mr. John Williamson, the
lieutenant, who commanded in* the launch, instead of pull-
ing in to the assistance of captain Cook, withdrew his
boat further ofi^^ at the moment that every thing seems to
have depended upon the timely exertiotis of those in the
boats. By his own account, he mistook the signal : bqt
be that as it may, this circumstance appears to me to have
deeided the fiital turn of the affair, and to have removed
#irer^ chancj^ which ireni^in'ed witti captain Cook^ of escap*
«i)p 6 0 0 K*
ing witlihi^ life.' The bWn^s^of s^^ing «!»« i^aritiQi «*
jtboir firQ-arm$»: ^r giving wh^ f^mtmQ^ ^b^y otkerwis*
might b9V4^ doDfi to ^i^p^in Co^l^; ^o t:b»t be s^eni^, ai;
the most mticj3kl pck$nt of tm&t tp b»v^ wa^ited tbQ fa^i^lr
^ocqof b^tb :boa^$» owipg to tb^.r^»if)^YAl oC tbe Umieb^
for fio|wi|b$t9jndipg tbftt they k«pt ijp ^ gre qp tbi^ erowd
from tbiQ pitH^tioQ to which tbi^y 3Fetp[»ovf!4 io tbf^t boat, iJm
ffttal ^opfvisiou which. ensMod m her b^iog wHMrftwn, to
^y tbo Ipa^t of it> ini}9t havo pr^vsutod tibis fliU offopt^lbat
lb@ pfompt co-^opemtioQ of the two bo9l9^ i^^oording to
captain Code's ordojfs, mmt bftvo bad towwrdis the firoaer-'
vatipd pf hjim^elf and bis peop}^* At thftl tice^ it was to
ibo hpat9 dioo^ ths^t PAptain Cook bad .to Vh^ fprbis ift£Hy i
for wben tho marines had fij^d, tbo Indians^ rit^nod £m»Pg
Ibem, and -fpi cod tbom into tho wa^er, wbor^- fimr of tbttni
wore kiUod : . thoir liouteqant wai^ woundod^ but fpitanatoi]!
^spapedy and wasi t^kon up by tho pinnaco* C^i^tain Cook
wft$ then tbo Qn\y one reo^aining on the rqpk ibe wa9 ob-r
9ervejl mal^ipg for tbe pinni^^e, boldi)9g his Ipfl band ag«iaat
tho back of bi^ boad^ to guard it fvopA tbe atcm^^, and car^
rying bis mnsq^t under thp other aroi« Ai^ Indian was
$een following ;bii») but with caution and timidity: lor bo
stoppod onico ot tvjm^f a$ if undeteroiinod to propood. Al
last: be advanpod upon hi^^ unawares, and with a latgo
pJub* ox poH)«aonv s^ko, gavo iunx . a blow on the ba^ of
the. head, and then precipitataly retreated* Tbe aluroko
$ooaied to have stnauod oaptain Cook : ho stagg^vad si few
p»co99 Ihea feU on hia band and ono knep, and drqpfied
bift mugquet. . A^ h^ wasi rising, and beloiio bo could reocH
vor hi3 feet,, anothor Indian siiabbod him in tbe baek of ibo
neck with an iroe dagger.. Ho.^ii^snr fell if to a biio ol
water about knee deep,- whea^e olbera evowdod vqufOB hio^
§nd pndeavoured to keep bina under ; but atruggling very
strongly with tbej»> bo got -his. head upsy^and caating fatfi
]opk towards the pinoace, soemied to aalioit asiiatanpe,
Though the boat was npt above fi^ ok six yards distani
from bis)^ yet from the 4>rowdod&Bd confused stoio of the
$row, it jseemsi it was not in their power to sam hisi. The
Indians got him under again, but in deeppv wat^r: he wa»r
however, able lo got his bead up once more ; and beti^^
alniosX spent in the atiu^gle>, ho. naturfjly tamed to tim
!?► O Q: I?^ mi
rpck, wd^was eiideaypurtpg to wppdri hiii¥i0}f bjr it, when
a 4«Lv.ag6 :;gay9 bm»J;>W^ witb a oli^ . fiftd ho was seen
aUv^ no more* T^y k^^M^hm up Ufeleft^ on. the rock^
where th^y g^^m^ IK> t?ik«^«4|avag'e jdea^Murein uaing every
barbaruy (9 hU df^ body ; gim^^hing the daggers one of
each •o£h^r'»haoik,/tP'h9^e. the hcHU-id 8aiiaf4ctk)u of piero.
iiig the faU^ irip(iip,(^tlieir barh«rott9 i>$^
. Captain Cook m^9 a.iMi:n9d man» and left seyeralchtU
drein behind him< O^ ea^h of ^e$e hiai majesty settled a
pension of 25/. peranu. ai»4',20P/^ per fum* onhiswidofr^
It is remarkable, if tifue, *a# 4reparted| that captain Cook
wa9 godrf^hftr ^.b^P wiie ; aiHl at the Very tame she Oitas
cbristf^ni^ deolar^ that he h^d detenmned on the lanidil
which aftefi^acd^ ^ook plftoe hetween them;
. To what we ha^e already sMd of this clronninajiTigatioiry
we s|;HlU add some extracts fyom the acconiit giv«tti ^ hie
Ijife af»d /piiihtic services by ci^ptain King: <^'He was en^
gaged in mo^t of the busy and active scenes in North Ame-
'rieai yet he foinid time to read Euelid, and 4Biipply the
4eficiencie<t of an nearly ediiicatipn. Sir Charles Sarnideis^
at theseige of Qi^ebec, committed tor bia care services of
ti^ ^i&t importance. Lord ColviUe and six Ofaarles both
patroniaed bifP ; and by their recoma)eitdatt(»l he was ap*
pointed to snxvey the gulpb of SU Laurence and the coasts
of Newfoundbi.n4. Theconstitiuion of his body was ro-
bust, ipi^ed to labour^ and capable of nndergomg< the se-^
ve,re9t hardships. His stomach bore, ..witbont difflctdty,
thetCoaTiest and moat ongwteful food. Indeed^ temper-*'
apce in him was scarcely a virt«ie.; so great was the indif^
feranoe with which he submitted to every kind .of «eK^
deniaL The qualities of bia mind were of the same hardy^
vigor^ns^ kind, with those of his body. .His cotirage was
Qoot attd determined, apd-aocampanied witfa>an admirable
p^^eseac^'of mii^din the ^aoment of dangec. • His manners'
were pla^in aiQid •unaffected. His tempec might , perhaps
ha^e been juatly bla^neabliei aa subject to. hastiness and
passies^ had not ih^»e been dtsatmed by a ^spesitioii'the^
mj^ benevolent and hvmM^, > .
i '^ Soch wi^l^e the outlined' of captain Cook's character ;
but its. most distingUMdiiBg;feiil:ure was that unremitting*
pe^fsevef a^ce in the pnnsuit of his object^ which wair not-
Qidy su^riorto the of^pieeition of dangers, tand the pres^-'
sum pf Ismdi^hipsi but even eKempt from file want of ordi-
mif^ reUlS^tion, Fertiapa no fi€iem:e ever receiv«d greater
202 iC O O K.
accessions from the labours of a single man, than ' geo-*
graphy has done from those of captain Cook. In his first
voyage to tlie South seas he discovered the Society islands' ;
determined the insularity of Ne# iZealand ; discovered the .
straits which separate the two ishtnds, and are called after
his name ; and made a complete survey of both. He after-
wards explored the easteirn coast of New Holla|id, hitherto
imknown ; an extent of upwards c^ two tbousand'mites. 'In
his second expedition he resolved the great problem of a
southern continent, having traversed that hemisphere in
such a manner as not to leave a possibility of its existence,
unless near the pole, and out of the reach of navigation.
During this voyage he discovered New Caledonia^ iihe
largest island in the Southern Pacific, except New Zealand :
the idaod of Georgia; and an unknown coal^t, which' he
named Sandwich land, the Thul^ of the sou^ern henil-
sphere : and having twice visited the tropical seas, he settled
the situations of the old, and made several new discoveries.
But the last voyage is distinguished above all tte rest hf the
extent and importance of its discoveries. Besides several
smaller islands in the southern Pacific, he discovered, to
the north of the equinoodal line, the groupe called the
Ssittdwich islands^ which, from their situation'and produce-
tionS) bid fairer for becoming an object of consequence In
the system of European navigation, than any other disco-
very in the South sea. He aftersvards explored what had
hitherto remained unknown of the western coast of Am^«
rica, containing an cfxtent'of three thousand five hiindifed
miles; ascertained ^^ the proximity of the two gresit cdnti-'
nents > of Asia and America ; passed the straits betvi^een
tbem^ and surveyed the coast on each side, to such a height
of northern latitude, as to demonstrate the impractickbilHy
of a passage, /in that hemisphere, from the Atlantic into
the Pacific ocean, either by an eastern or a western cbiirse.
In short, if we except the sea of Aipur, and the Japanese
archipelago, which stijl remain imperfectly* known to Eu-
ropeans, he has completed the hydrography of the habitable
globe.'' Captain King concludes his account of tbift- extras-
ordinary man, whose deadi cannot be sufficiently lamented,
in the following word^: ** Halving given the most faithful
account I have been able to' collect, both from my own
observation and the relations of others, of the death of jh^
everrhonoured friend, and also of his character and isef -*
vices, I shall now leave hiii memory to the gratitude and
tJ O O K. 203
ftdmiFatkm e£^o8£erity ; siccepttng mth a melancholy sa«
4irfaction the honour^ which the loss of his has procured
me, of seeing my^ nanie joined with his ; and of testifying
that affection and respect for his memory, which, whilst
be lived, it was no less my inclination than my constant
«tudy to shewhim."
" We cannot dose this article without giving a short sketch
of the characters- of the different writers by whom the
Jast voyage was given to the world. Among these we ought
to reckon the rev. Dr. Douglas, the editor,^ who, in a grave
anddignified styJe, suitable to the sublimity of a journey
or voyage roudd the globe, haS' arranged the matter \ chas*
tised, no doubt^ in some instances) the language of txur
circumnavigators ; and pointed out to the carious and phi-
losophic eye, the benefits that have resulted, and may ^et
remilt, from the late disdoveries in the great Pacific ocean ;
and the attempt, though unsuccessful, to explore a north-
ern passage from thence into the Atlantic. Although this
gentleman has levelled down the more striking peculiarities
of the different writers of these voyages <nto some appear-
ance of equality, yet a critic can discern in each his proper
features. Captain Cook, accurate^ minute, and severe,
surveys every ot)ject with a mathematical eye, ever intent
to iix .or to discover spme truth in astronomy, geography,
and navigation. His observations . on men and manners!,
and the produce of countries, are not very subtle or re-
fined, but always sensible and judicious. H« speculates in
order to establish factsf, but does not int^uire into facts for
the airy ' purposes of speculatio^i. Captain King has per-
haps a greater versatility of genius than captain Cook, as
wcdl as a more lively fancy, and a greater variety and ex-
tent of knowledge. . Agreeably to this character ofhitn,
he paints the scenes that fall under his eye> in glowing and
various ccdours. He has less perhaps of the mathematician
and navigator in his composition than captain Cook, and
more of the author. He himself seems conscious that this
is bib forte, and wields the pen with alacrity, with ease and
satia&ction. The gleanings that were left to his industry
by captain Cook, he seems too eager to pick up, to dwell
upon, and to amplify. Mr. Anderson is superior to both
these writers in variety of knowledge, and subtlety and
. sublimity of genius. He is versant in languages ancient
and modern,, in mathematics, in natural history, in natural
pb^osophy^ in civil history, in the metaphysics of both
JH)4 C O O R.
morality aod theology; yet^ as acpdnterbaliuice/bo the^e
jbrilliaDt qualitief an4 eudowoients, he launch^ forth too
much into thoory, and is, in some instances, too little cod-
8traioe(j[ by the liuiits of fact and nature, in his .^leculations.
.Qe h^ found the do<:trines of the io^raortalky and the im*
materiality of the soul among nations, who, ia all proba<»
hility, have iiot terms to express tbese» and very Sew to
Mgiiify abstracted ideas of any lund. A quick imaginatioik
and a subtle intellect can see any. thing in any subject, and
extend the ideas most familiar to thems^ves over the boand*
less variety of the universe. ^
. COOK (Benjamin) Mus,D. an eminent organist and
cotrtra^puntist, in the- style of our best ecpksiastical com-
posers, ivhom he had studied, from Tallis to Crofts, Wei-
fU>n, aoid Green, a very correct harmonist and good organ
player^ but with limited powers of invention, waa. organiit
of Westminster abbey, and on the death of Kelway elected
organist of St. Martinis in the Fields. He long presided at
the Crown and Anchor concert, which was originally esta-
«blisbed for the pieservation of the best works of the most
esHuent masters of old times. It is a curious circumstance,
that at this concert of ancient music Handel was regarded
as an innovator, and Geminiani. thought it an honour to be
allowed to dedicate his last concertos to this society. Dr.
Pepuscb, who established and directed this concert to the
time of his death, never allowed Handel any other merit
U^n that of a good practical musician. The irreconoileable
enmity between the lovers of old and new music became,
from the time of this institution, as violent as the rage be«
Iween the champions of ancient and modern learning. Dr.
Cook, a steady votary of the old masters, died September
1 793. He was the son of Benjamin Cook, wlio kept a music
shop in New«9treet, Covent-garden, and who published
by pateRt, among other things, six concertos fos violins^
tenor and bass^ by Alexander Scarlatti; the chamber s3rmM
phonies of Porpora^ for three instrument; and the two
books of lessons by Domenico Scarlatti, in long 4toy of
which Rosingrave .was the editor. After the decease ef
Cooky Johnson reprit^ed Scarlatti's lessons, with the sam^
title*-page and the samue errors as had escaped correction
in the former edition.' - ^
^ From the prtcedmg Edition of this Dictionary. —See the elaborate account
in'Btog. Brit, originally published by Dr. Kippis in a %to volame.
X ^ Dr. Burney, ia Ee«i*8 Cycitpedku .
€00 K. aos
. COOK (Henry) an English artist, waa born ip 1642w
Haring a taste for historical painting, be travelled to Italy:
for the purpose of improving himself in this branch of the
art, and studied under Salvator Rosa ; but, on his return,
to England, met with so little encouragement, that for.
many years he remained in want and obscurity, and at last,
was obliged to fly for a murder which he committed onl. a
person who courted one of his mistresses. On his return,^
when this affair was forgot, his talenta gained him noticejp,
and be was employed by king William to repair his car^
toons ; he likewise finished the equestrian portrait otC
Charles II. at Chelsea college, painted the choir of New»
College chapel, Oxford, as it stood before the late repairs,
and the staircase at Ranelagh bouse, besides many othec
works mentioned by lord Orford. He is also said to have
tried portrait paintiqgy but to haye given it up, disgustedly
with the caprices of those who sat to him. He died 18 th,
Nov. 1700. *
COOKE (Sir Anthony), preceptor to Edward VI. was
born at Giddy, or Gidding-hall, in Essex, about 1506, andf
descended from sir Thomaft Cooke, major of London. He
was educated probably at Cambridge, as- Wood makes nq
mention of him. However, he was such an eminent m^stec
of the whole; circle of .arts, of such singular piety and good-
ness, of such uticommon prudence iu the managemeni of
his own family,, that those noble persons who bstd the charge
of king Edward appointed him to instruct that prince in
learning, and to foriQ his manners. He lived ia exile during
the persecution of Mary, but after Elizabeth's accession,
returned home, and spent the remainder of his days in
peace and honour, at Giddy-hall, where he died in 1576*
He was, if Lloyd, may be credited, naturally of a reserved
temper, and took more plea&ure to breed up statesmen
than: to be one. ^^ Contemplation was his soul, privacy his
life, and discourse his element : business was his purgatory,
and publicness his. torment'' To which may be added
what king Edward VI. used to say of his tutors^ that
Rodplph, the German, spake honestly, Sir John ChekQ
talked merrily. Dr. Cox solidly, and sir Anthony Cooke
weighingly,
Several ingenious sayings of his are recorded ; parti^
culavly the following: " That theire were three objects,
> Walpole's Aiiecilote?.— ^Noble's Continuation of Granger, vol. T.
&6i COO fe i
' before whom he could not do amiss ; his prince, his doh-
science, and his children." This facetious story is like-
wise related of him : — " A Sussex knight, having spent a
great estate at court, and reduced himself to one park anc}
a fine bouse in it, was yet ambitious to entertain the king
(Edward VI.) For that purpose he new painted his gates,'
with a coat of arms and this motto over them, in large golden
letters, oia vanitaS. Sir Anthony offering to read it, de-
sired to know of the gentleman what he meant by oiA, who
told him it stood for omnia. *^ I wonder," replied he,
** that, having made your omnia so little as you havef, you
should yet make your vanitas so large.*'
Sir Anthopy Cooke was peculiarly bappy in bis' four
daughters, who made so distinguished a figure among the
literary ladies of the period in which they lived, and were
otherwise so eminent in situation and. character, a? to re-
quire some notice in a work of this description,
Mildred, the eldest of these daughters, we mentioned
in the article of William Cecil, lord Burleigh, remarking
that she was long the faithful wife of that great' Statesman ;
that she was learned in the Greek tongue^ and wrote a , let-
ter to the University of Cambridge in that language ; that
idle was a patroness of literature ; and that she was distin-
guished by her numerous charities. To this we may naW
add, that her preceptor was Mr. Lawrence, an eminent
Grecian ; and she fully answered the care and pains that
were taken in her education : but her reading was not con-
fined to the classic writers of Greece only, but extended,
likewise, to the ancient Christian fathers, particularly
Basil, Cyril, Chrysostom, and Gregory Nazianzen. A
piece of Saint Chrysostom's was translated by her, from
the original, into the English language. It was on the 2 1 st
of December, f546, and in the 20th year of her age, that
she was married to sir William Cecil. Her death, as we
have seen in her husband^s article, wad on the 4th of April,
1589. She had an admirable understanding, and is said to
have been a good politician. Nor is this at all surprising,
considering her intellectual powers, and that, for more than
forty and two years, she was the wife of such an illustrious
statesman as Lord Burleigh. As an evidence of her poli-^
tical talents, Mr. Ballard has produced a letter written bjT
her, on the 26th of October^ 1573, to sir William Fitjg*
Williams, at that time lord deputy of Ireland. The Iftter
contains some ^xcetlent ' ad vite ; and shews, that she was
COOKE. 201
not only a woman of great good sense, but well acquainted
with the world. Five days after her decease, iord Burleigh,
wrote what he calls a meditation on the death of his lady,
which contains several farther particulars concerning her,
and is a striking testimony of his affection to her memory.
Of Anne, the second daughter — See BACON, Anne^
Elizabeth, . third daughter of sir Anthony Cooke, was
born about the year 1529, and having enjoyed the same
liberal educi^tion which was bestowed upon her sisters, wal
equally happy in improving it, and gained the applause of
the most eminent scholars of the age. It was observed by
sir John Harringtot), that if Madam Vittoria, an Italian
lady, deserved to have her name celebrated and transmitted
to posterity by Aridsto, for writing some verses,^ in the
manner of an epitaph, upon her husband, after his decease;
DO less comitiendation was due to the lady before us, wbp
did as mxich and more, not only for two husbands, but foir
her son, daughter, brother, sister, and venerable old
friend Mr. Noke of Shottesbrooke, in the Greek, Latin,
and English tongues. She was married, first, to sir Tho«
mas Hobby, and accompanied him to France, when he
went there as ambassador from queen Elizabeth, and died
there July 13, 1566. His disconsolate lady having <^recte4
a chapel in the chancel of the church at Bishaiti, in Berk-
shire, carefully deposited the remains of her husband, .|ind
of his brother, sir Philip Hobby, in one tomb together,
which she adorped with large inscriptions, in Latin and
English verse, of her own composition. She bad by sir
Thomas Hobby four children, Edward, Elizabeth, Anne,
and Thomas Posthumus. It does not appear that she. had
great comfort in either of her sons ; and the youngest in
particular, as is lihanifest from a letter written by her to
lord treasurer Burleigh, was guilty of such extravagancies
and undutifulness, as gave her much uneasiness. It is evi-
dent, from the letter, that she was a woman of uncommon
spirit and sense, and an excellent economist. Some years
after the decease of sir Thomas Hobby, she married John,
lord Russel, son and heir to Francis Russel, earl of Bed-
ford. Her husband dying before his father, in the year
I JSi*, was buried in the abbey ehurch of Westminster,
where there is a noble monument erected to his memory,
4nd embellished with inscriptions in Greek, Latin, arid
English, by this his surviving lady. Her children, by John
fora Russel, were one soui^ who died young in 1580, and
308 COOK,!!.
t
«
two daughters, Amne and EUzabelhti Theias^ of tbem strr^
vived ber father but a liule time^ ii)n4 is said to have bled
to deajtb by the prick of a needle in the fbrefingei of ber
left hand. This story ba» been supported by the figure
placed on ber monument^ which i» in the same grate vtriih
^ that of her.father ^ wbere^ on a pedestal of black and white
marble made column -wise^. in imitation ofuRonosm altar,
may be seen the statue of a young: lady seated in a most
furiously -^ wrought. osi0r chair, of the 5nestt polished ni^
baster, in a ver}'' melanpholy posture, iridintBg her bead
to the right hand,* and with the forefinger of hex left only
extended, downwards^ to dir^et n& to behold tthe death's
bead underneath her f^et, and, as the tradition goes, to
signify the disaster that brought her to ber end, Mr. Bal*
lard thinks, that if the fact be true, it must be attributed
to some gangrene, or other dangerous symptom, occa-t-
sioned perha|>s at first by the prieking of an artery or aenre^
which at last brought her to the grave. The matter, how-r
ever, does not deserve to be reasoned apoA; being, iii
truth, no other than an idle aad. groundless. tale,, which
very well answers the purpo^ of amusing the crowd who
go to visit the tombs in the* Abbey.
Lady Russel translated out of French into English a tract
entitled, ^^ A way of reconciliation of a good and i^rned
]han,''toi^bing the true nature and substance of Ibebody
iand blood of Christ in th^ Sacrament." This: work was
printed in 1605,, and is- dedicated to her only daughter,
Anne Herbert, wife to Henry lord Herbert, son and heir
to Edward earl of Worc^stJer^
The time of lady Russel's death has not been ascertained;
In a letter writtea by ber to sir Bobert Cecil, without date,
shecbmplains of her bad healtb and in^rmities, anid men-^
tions her having compleated sixty-eight years. She seems
to have been buried at Bisbam, in Berks, near the remains
of her first hujsb^nd, and in the chapel which she herself
bad founded. From Birches Memoirs of the reign of queen
Elizabeth, it appears that lady Russel interested herself iti^
the concerns: of ber nephew Anthony Bacon, and etldea-
voured to do him service with the lord treasurer BurleigbJ
In that work there are some extracts {ix>m two of her letters
uppn this occasion, and a long account of a curious con*'
versation which shj$ had with her nephew, relative to tho
disputes between him and the treasurer. The fact was, that
lord Burleigh was dissatisfied with, the connections both o£
COOKE. 209
Mr. Anthony and Mr.' Franciii Bacon, and especially with
their attachment to the Earl of Essex, and on these accounts
was not favourable to their promotion.
K ATHERINE, the fourth daughter of sir Anthony Cooke, wad
born about the year 1 530, and like h^r sisters became famous
for her knowledge in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin tongues,,
and for her skill in poetry. A short specimen of her talent in
that art has been preserved by sir John Harrington and Dr.
Thomas Fuller ; but there is some difficulty in determining
the occasion, upon which the verses were written. Sir John
Harrington says, that her design in writing them was ^o
set a kinsman of hers sent to Cornwall, where she inha*
bited, and to prevent his going beyond sea. * Mr. Phillips^
in bis " Theatrum Poetarum,*' . asserts that it was her
lover. Dr. Fuller, however, with greater appearance of
reason, informs us, that her husband being designed by
queen Elizabeth ambassador to France in troublesome
times, when the employment, always difficult, was then
apparently dangerous, his lady wrote these lines to her,
sister Mildred Cecil, to engage her interest with lord Bur-
leigh for preventing the appointment.
The person to whom Katherine Cooke was married was
Henry Killegrew, esq. a gentleman of good abilities, and
who, for the services he performed to his country in the
quality of an ambassador, was afterwards knighted, vlt
should seem, tberefoi^e, that if Fuller be right in the account
he has given of the purpose of the preceding verses, the
fair author did not obtain her request. Sir Henry was
living in great esteem, in the year 1602 ; and it appears,
from her father^s will, that Lady Killegrew was alive on the
22d of May, 1576. She was buried in the chancel of the
church of St Thomas the Apostle, in Vintry-yard, London,
where is an elegant monument erected to her memory, on
which is a pious Latin inscription, composed by herself.
The death of lady Killegrew was lamented in various
epitaphs. Her sister, lady Russel, wrote one, partly in
Greek and partly in Latin verse. Three others, in Latin
verse, were written by Robert Mason Forman, minister of
the reformed French church in London^ by Andrew MeU
vin, and by William Chark. Such of our readers as are
curious to see these productions, may find them in Ballard..
It is generally understood that sir Anthony (^ooke had
only four daughters ; but there is some reason' to believe
that be had, at least, one more. Camden, Fuller, Lloyd,
Vol. X. P
210 COOKE,
B6hun, and Strype, concur in mentioning a fifth daughter,
whb^e name, they say, is lost. Nevertheless, they all
observe that she was married to sir Ralph Rowlet; but thi»
seems doubtful, *
COOKE (Thomas), a poet and miscellaneons writer,
was born at Brain tree in Essex, in 1702 or 1703, where
his father was an inn-keeper, and as Pope used to say, a
Muggletonian. He was educated at Felsted school, where
he made considerable proficiency, but how long he re*
toained here, or what, was his destination in life is not
known. For some time he appears to have been domestic
cated in the family of lord Pembroke, who died in 1733,
and who probably suggested to him a translation of Hesiod,
to which his lordship contributed some liotes. Before this
nbbleman's death, he came to London in 1722, and be-^
came a writer by profession, and a strenuous supporter
of revolution-principles, which formed a bond of unioq
between him and Tickell, Philips, Welsted, Steele, Dennis,
and others, whose political opinions agreed with his own*
He wrote in some of the weekly journals of the time, and
was considered as a man of learning and abilities. He is
supposed to have attacked Pope from political principles,
but it is fully as probable, that, as he was a good Greek
scholar, he wished to derive some reputation from proving
that Pope, in his translation of Homer, was deficient in
that language. In 1725 be published a poem entitled
«* The Battle of the Poets," in which Pope, Swifk, and
some others were treated with much freedom ; and trans«
latedand published in the Daily Journal, 1727, the episode
of Tbersiites, from the second book of the Iliad, to show
how much Pope had mistaken his author. For this attack
Pope gave him a place in the ^* Dunciad,'* and notices
hitft with equal contempt in his Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot.
In a note likewise he informs us that Cooke ^ wrote letters
lit the same time to him, protesting his innocence ;" but
Cooke's late biographer, sir Joseph Mawbey^^ is inclined
to doubt this, and rather to beKeve that he was regardless
of Pope's enmity. In a subsequent edition of " T^ Bat-
lie of die Poets'* Cooke notices the Dunciad with be-
coming spirit, ahd speaks with little respect of Pope's
^ philosophy or dignity of mind, who could be provoked
by what a boy writ concerning his translation of Homer,
and in verses which gave no long promise of duration.'
1 Biof . Brit«»B|^jlArd'8 MemMrs,
»>
COOKE. ait
In 1725 Of 1736, Cooke puUished «The KoigHti ol
the Bath/' and ^< PhiUador and Cydippe/' hotb poetical
l»les.; aad several other pieces of poetry ; the fojrmer evij-
dently meant to attract the public atte&uon, on the reriYal,
^bout that time, of the order o^ the Batb. He wrote soon
after '« The Triumpht of Love and Honour,'* a play ^ «Tbe
Eunuch,'* a farce ; and ^* The Mournful Nuptials^'' a tra-
gedy ; all performed at Drury-lane theatre, bat with little
sqocesa. In 1726 he published an account of the '< l(ifie
and Writings of Andrew Marvell, esq.'' prefixed to aa
edition of the poetical works of that celebrated poliikian,
^ vols. ISmo, and in 1728 his translation of ^^ Hesiod."
(a 1794 he published an edition of Terence, with an £ng«
U«h translation, 3 vols. i2mo, and in 1737 ^^ A Trans)a-»
lion of Cicero on the Nature of the Gods," with philoso*
phica], critical, and explanatory notes, to which is added
an examination into the astronomy of the ancients, Svo.
In 1741 he encreased his cla$uiical reputation by an edition
of Virgil, with an interpretation in Latin, and notes, in
Engliah. In 1742 he published a volume of his original
'^ Poems," with imitations and translations, and in 1746
undertook a new edition and translation of Plautus, by
•subscription. Of thi% he produced in 1754 the first vo-
lume, containing a dissertation on the life of Plautus, and
a translation of th^ comedy of Amphitryon, but although
bis list of subscribers was very copious, and he went on
iieeeiving more^, he never completed the work.
. Hb was always, however, employing his pen on tem-
porary subjects, either in poems or pamphlets, and for
some time was concerned in the political paper established
in opposition to sir Robert Walpole, entitled '^The
Crsyfbman ;" and at one time, in 174S, was apprehended
for some libel against the government, but it does not ap«
pear that a prosecution followed. During his latter years
he published a variety of single poems, which it would be
unnecessary to enumerate, more particularly as they have
been long consigned to oblivion ; and he also contributed
songs and ballads for Vauxhall, long the Parnassus of the
ipinor poets. In 1756 Dr. Leonard Howard,, rectoi^ of Sit.
. * Pr. Ji^h»fto^, says BosweU hi bii in $u^8criptioi|s; and that he prfsented
** Jo«raal of a Tour, ^c." told us of Foote to a club in the followjnf singu-
Cooke, who translated Hesiod, and lar manner :<< This is the nephew of the
lired twenty years on a translatido of phtleman who was lately hon^ in
Pfantut, for which h^ was ialways taking chains for murdtring his brothar."
1? 2
•212 COOKE,
George's, Southwark, published a collection of Ancient
Letters,; in 2 vols. 4to, but as he had not materials 'to fill
up the second, Cooke, who was his intimate friend, gave
him many letters from his correspondents, and some pieces
of poetry, with which Howard completed this strange
juroJble. The letters, however, are in some respects amu-
sing, and show that Cooke was complimented at least, by
dome persons of eminence, although probably not much
respected. Sir Joseph Mawbey had a tragedy of his en-
titled " Germanicus," which Garrick refused, and three
folio volumes of his MSS. His residence in the latter part
of his life was at Lambeth, in a small and insignificant house
and garden, of which he used to speak with great pomp,
and where he died Dec. 20, 1756, in great poverty. He
was buried by a subscription among a few friends, who9.1so
contributed to the -support of his widow and daughter,
neither of whom survived long. His biographer's account
of his morals and religious principles is not very favourable,
biit it is unnecessary to dwell longer on the merits of an
author whose productions it would, perhaps, be impossible
to revive. '
COOPER (Anthony Ashley), earl of Shaftesbury, an
eminent statesman of very dubious character, was son of •
sir. John Cooper, of Rockborn in the county of Southamp*
ton,bart; by Anne, daughter of sir Anthony Ashley of Win-
borne St. Giles, in the county of Dorset, bart. where he
was born July 22, 162 1. Being a boy of uncommon parts,
he was sent to Oxford at the age of fifteen, and admitted
a gentleman commoner of Exeter college, under Dr. John*
Prideauic, the Sector of it. He is said to have studied hard
there* for about two years ; and then removed to LincoIn^s
inn^ where he applied himself with great vigour to the law,
and especially that p^rt of it which related to the constitu-
tion of the kingdom. He was elected for Tewksbury in
Gloucestershire, in the padiament which met at West-
minster, April 13, 1640, but was soon dissolved* Heseema
to have been well affected to the king's service at the be-
ginning of the civil war : for he repaired to the king at
Oxford, offered his assistance, and projected a scheme,
not for subduing or conquering his country, but for re-
ducing such as had either deserted or mistaken their duty.
.1 tife, by sir J. Mawbey, in Gent. Mag. toI. LKI. LXIT. ana LXVII.^
Biog. PrAiiiatic«.'»*Boirles's Bdition of Pope's Worki.— Lysons's £avironBy.Tol. 1.
cooper: 1213
,to his majesty's obedience. He was afterwards invited to
Oxford by a letter from his majesty ; but, perceiving tBat
he was not in confidence, that his behaviour was disliked,
and his person in danger, be retired into the parliament
quarters, and soon after went up to London, where he was
well received by that party : " to Which,*' says Clarendon,
** he gave himself up body and soul." He accepted a
commission from the parliament ; and, raising forces, took
Wareham by storm, October 1644, and soon after reduced
all the adjacent parts of Dorsetshire. This, and some other
actions of the same nature, induced the above-mentioned
historian to say that he *^ became an implacable enemy to
the royal family." The next year he was sheriff of Wilt*
shire. In 1651 he was of the committee of twenty, ap-
pointed to consider of ways and means for reforming the
law. He was also one of the members of the convention
that met after Cromwell had turned out the long parlia-
ment. He was again a member of parliament in 1654, apd
one of the principal persons who signed that famous pro-
testation, charging the protector with tyranny and arbitrary
government ; and he always opposed the illegal measures
of that usurper to the utmost. When the protector' Richard
was deposed, and the Rump came again into power, they
nominated sir Anthony one of their council of istate, and a
commissioner for managing the army. He was at that very
time engaged in a secret correspondence with the friends
of Charles 11. and greatly instrumental in promoting his
restoration ; which brought him into peril of his life with
>the powers then in being. He was returned a member for
Dorsetshire, in that which was called the healing parlia-
ment, which sat in April 1660; and a resolution being
•taken to restore the constitution, he was named one of the
twelve members of the house of commons to carry their
invitation to the king. It was in performing this service
that he had the misfortune to be overturned in a carriage
upon a Dutch road, by which he received a dangerous
wound between the ribs, which ulcerated many years after,
and was opened when he was chancellor.
Upon the king's coming over be was sworn of his ma-
jesty's most honourable privy-council. He was also one of
the commi^ioners for the trial of the regicides ; and though
the> Oxford historian is very severe on him on this occasion,
yet his. advocates are very desirous of proving that he was
pot any way concerned in betraying or shedding the blood
514 COOPER.
of his sovereign. By letters patent^ dated April SO, H^f^
he was created baron Ashley of Winbome St Giles j^ Mali
after made chancellor and under-treasorer <^ the exche-
quer^ and then one of the lords eomoiissioaers for Exe-
cuting the oiBfice of high^treasurer. He was afterwards
made lord lieutenant of the county of Dorset ; and^ April
23, 1672, created baron Cooper of t^awl^ in the county df
SSometset, and earl of Shaftesbury. Noveoiher 4 follow-
ing, he was raised to the pest of lord high chancellor of
^England* He shone particularly in his speeches in par-
liament ; and, if we judge only from those which he made
upon swearing in the treasurer CUfibrd, his successor sir .
Thomas Osborne, and baron Thurland, we must conclvde
him to have been a very acconipliahed orator. The short
thne he was at the helm was aaeason of storms ^nd tem-
pests; and it is but doing horn justice to say that they
could not either affright or distract him. November 9, 1673,
he resigned the gre^ seal under very singular circum-
stances. I Soon after the breaj&ing up of the parliament, as
Echard relates, the earl was sent for on Sunday morning
^o court ; as was also sir Heneage Finch, attorney-general,
to whom the seals were promised. As soon as the carl
came he retired with the king inlx> the ck)set, while die
|)revaiUug party waited in triumph to see him return witb-
out the purse. His lordsbiip -being alone with the king,
said, ^^ Sir, I know you intend to give the seals to the at^
torney-fgeneral, bat I am sure yomr majesty never intended
to dismiss me with conten^t." The king, who could not
do an ill-natured thing, replied, ^' Gods fish, my lord,^ i
will not do it with any circumstance that may iook like an
affront.^' ^^ Then, sir," said the earl, ** I desire your mou-
jesty. will permit me to cari^ the seats before you to tHia-
pel, and send for them afterwards from my house.'' To
this his majesty rejadily couseuted ; and the earl enter-
tained the king with news and diverting storties till the vaery
minute he was to go to chape), purposely to amuse the
courtiers and>his successor, who be believed was upon the
lack for fear he should prevail upon the kmg to cbstnge
his mind. The king and the earl came out dt the closet
talking together and smiling, and went together to xjhapei,
which greatly surprised them all : and somt^ ran imnei-
diately to tell the duke of York, that all h» oneasures were
broken* After sermon the ecurl wetit kcvac with -tlie «ea}s>
C O O P £ E. eiB
I
aod ih»t mining the king gave them to the attoriie|r«
geoeraL
After he bad thus quitted the court, he continued to
make a great figure in pailiaiuent : bis abilities^ en$tble4
him to sbiue,. and be was not of a natore to rest In 1^675^
the treasurer, Oanby, iiuroduced the test^bill iqto tbe
house of lords, which was vigorously opposed by tbe eail
of Shaftesbury; who, if we may believe Burnet, distiur
gufshed himself more in this session than ever he bad dm^
belbre. This dispute occasioned a prorogation ; and tjiere
ensued a recess jcS fifteen months. When tbe parliameoft
met again, Feb. 16, 1677, tbe duke of $uqluugbam ar^
gued, that it ought to be considered as dissoliired : the earl
of Shaftesbury was of the same opinion^ and maintah^ed i)t
with so much warmth, that, together with the duk^ before
mentioned, the earl of Salisbury, and the lord Wbarfiony
he was sent to tbe Tower, where he continued thirtes^
months, though the other lords, upon their a^bmission,
w.ere immediately discharged. When he was set at lib^y
he conducted the opposition to tbe earl of Banby's admir
nistration with such vigour and dexjteriity, that it was &^n^
impossible to do any id^ung efiectually in parliwient, witb^
out changing the system which then prevailed. The king,
who. desired nothing so m^uch as to be easy, resolved t^
naake a change ; dismissed all the privy-council at Qtio^
and formed a )aew one. This was decW^ 4|>ril 21, 16^9 ;
and at the same time the earl of Shaftesbury was appointed
lord president. He did not bold this employment longer
than October Ae fifth following. He had drawn upon bIoi<>
^elf tbe implacable hatred 4>f the duke of York, by steadiljr
promoting, if not originally inventing, the project of .an
exclusion bill : and therefore tbe duke's party was con#
stantly at work against him. ,Upop the king's sunmioning
a .parliament to meet at Oxford, March 21, 1681, he joined
with several lords in a petition to prevent its n^eting therei
which, however, failed of success. He was present at that
parliament, and strcpmously sHpported the exclusion iull ;
but tbe duke soon contrived to make him feel the weight
of bis resentment. For his lordship was apprehend$u-^
high treason, July 2, 1681 ; and, after being examix»ed by
bis majesty^ in council, was committed to the Tower^ where
he remained i^waords of four months. He was at length
tried, acquitted, «nd discharged i y^t did not think him«
\
216 COO P E R.
self safe, as bis enemies were now in tbe zenith of tbeir
power. He thought it high time therefore to. seek ftnr
some place of retirement, where, being oat of their reach,
he might wear out the small remainder of his life in peace.
It was with this view, November 1682, he embarked for
' Holland ; c^nd arriving safely at Amsterdam, after a dan-
gerous voyage, he took a house there, proposing to live in
a manner suitable to bis quality. He was visited by per-
sons of the first distinction, and treated with all the defer-
ence and respect he could desire. But being soon seized
by his old distemper, the gout, it immediately flew into his
stoniach, and became mortal, so that he expired Jan. 22,
1683, in his 62d year. His body was transported to Eng-
land; and interred with his ancestors at Winborne ; and in
1732, a noble monument, with a large inscription, was
erected by Anthony earl of Shaftesbury, his great grand-
son.
It was perhaps lord Shaftesbury's misfortune, that those
who were angry with him, have transmitted to posterity
the history of the times in which he lived, and or that go-
vernment in which he had so 'large a share. Marchmont
Needham published a severe pamphlet against him, En-
titled ^^ A packet of advices and animadversions, sent from
' London to the men of Shaftesbnry, which is of use for all
bis majesty's subjects in the three kingdoms," Lond. 1676;
and much of it is transferred verbatim into the account
given of him by the Oxford historian. He was also re-
presented as having had the vanity to expect to be chosen
. king of Poland ; and this made way for calling him count
Tapsky, alluding tq the tap, which had been applied upon
the breaking out of the ulcer between his ribs^ when he
was chancellor. It was also a standing jest with the lower
form of wits, to style him Shiftsbiiry instead of Shaftes-
bury. The author who relates this, tells us also, that when
he was chancellor, one sir Paul Neal watered his mares
with rhenish and sugar : that is, entertained his mistresses.
In his female connections he was very licentious ; and it is
recorded, that Charles II. who would both take liberties
and bear them, once said to the earl at court, in a vein of
raillery and good humour, and in reference only to his
amours, ^^ I believe, Shaftesbury, thou art the wickedest;
fellow in my dominions :" to which, with a low bow and
v^ry grave fece, the earl replied^ ^^ May it please yout
coo P E Rr 217
majesty, of a subject I believe I am ;^* at wbicb tbe merry
monarch laugbed heartily*
His chacaccer in the Biog. BritauDica is one continued
panegyric, from Miiich more recent and impartial writers
have made many and heavy deductions, particularly Mac*
pherson and Dalrymf^. Referring to these audiorities for
a character wbich^ involved as it is in the history of the
times, might form a volume, we shall conclude this article
with some information respecting the various attempts to
produce a life of him. The earl himself had written a his*
tory of his own times, which, when he was obliged to flee
to Holland, he entrusted to the care of Mr. Locke. Unfor*
tunately for tbe public, when Algernon Sidney was put to
death, on a charge of treason grounded upon papers found
in his closet, Mn. Locke, intimidated with th^ apprehen-
sion of a like prosecution, committed lord Shaftesbury's
manuscript to the flames. The professed design of die .
work was to display to the world the principles and motives
by which his enemies had been actuated, and to give a
true and impartial account of his own conduct. It began
with the reformation, and traced the course of events down
to the civil war, with a view of pointing out tbe defects of
the constitution, and of stating what ought farther to be
done, in order to strengthen and confirm the liberties of
the people. It is understood that the earl was particularly
excellent in his characters, some of which, in loose papers,
are still in the possession of the family. The largest frag*
ment now remaining is in the early part of the work, where
the author has drawn the characters of the principal gen*
tlemen who flourished in the county of Dorset, at the time
in which he arrived to man's estate. From this fragment,
a curious extract, giving an account of the hon. William
Hastings, of Woodlands in Dorsetshire, was published in;
the Connoisseur. It' aflbrds a striking example of lord
Shaftesbury's talent in characteristic composition ; and
Mr. Walpole, who in no other respect has spoken favour*
ably of his lordship, has observed, that it is a curious and
well-drawn portrait of our ancient English gentry.
For the loss which was occasioned by Mr. Locke's timidly
or prudence, he was solicitous to make some degiee 'Of
reparation. Accordingly, he formed an intention pf wri-->
tcag, at large, the history of his noble friend; and if he
hpid accomplished his iatentioui his work would undoubtedly
21S COOPER.
ham been a rerj v^hukle .fte$e»t to dltt public* B«t
there was anotner biographer, who wiotae ft life of lihe emrU
soon after his decease. Tins was Thonm Stxia^^, esq. of
Ivy church, mar Salisbniryi a gemUiinasi of gneat integrity
and excellent charader ; who had held, we believe, under
his kirdship, when high-chancdlor of England, the office
of clerk of the presentations; and adio'^as orach esteemed
by BOBie of the principal persona of the i^. With Mr/
hotiod in particolar, he asaintained an tntmat^ frieodsU|i
to the time of his death, which happened in 1702. Mn .
Stringer^B account has been the ground^work on which the
nansative intended for the public eye, by like noble fiumly^
has been built. It contained a valuable history of the ewrrs
lite ; }mt was probably much inferior ' in composkion to
what Mr. Lockers would h%ve been ; and indieed, in its
origind ihrm, it waa too imperfect for puUiei^ion. Some-
time about the year 1732, this manuscript, together with
the rest of the Shaftesbnry papers, was put into the hands
of Jklr. Benjamin Martyo, a gentleman who was then knowii^
in the literary world, in consequeece of haying written a
tf^ecty, entitlied ^< Timoleon,*' which bad been acted with
success at the theatre royal in XXmry^lane* Mr. Miutyn
Bmde Mr. Stringer^s manuscript the bans of his own work,
which he enriched wiith sudu speeciies of tbe •earl as are
jNBt remaitting, and with several particulim drawn from
smne Jocae papers left by bos lordship. He availed him*
sd^ likewise, of other means of ici^Dinttation, which move
rexaent publicatioi^ had a^brded ; and prefixed %o the
vinie an tntvoduction of coottderable length, ivhemn ^be
passed very high encomiums on owr f^at statesman, and
stncngthened d^m by the ieiftimonies of Mr. Locke and
Mons. Le Clerc. He added, also, strictures on L' Estrange^
sir WdUiam Temple, bishop Burnet, and others,^ who had
wiitten to his lordship's disadvantage. One anecdote,
which we well lemember, it cannot but be agreeable to
thefmblic and to the noble family to see rdated. It is
well known with what severity tlie earl of Sbafteisbury^s
character is treated by Dryden, in his Absalom and Acbi«*
topbd. Nevertbeiiess, soon after that fine aatire ^[ipeaved,
kia kixUup having thejicMnination of a scholar, as gove«nor
of ^e Charter-house, gave k to one of the poet's aons^
without any solicitation on the part of the father, or of any
otfier person. This Mct of generosity had such an elfeot
upon Dryden, that, to testify his gratitude, he added, in
COOPER. 219
thes^<«^ editkoB of tlie poeiii» the (ow foUdwiog hnM,
in celebratioa of the oail'« tsomliict as lotd ^anedior.
^ In iitiMr»0oi»t ne'er mt ab Abetfadln
WidinuHediaBemiagtfes^ or luiida imn^'ciBaft^
Ikibiib'd, unsdiigbt» the metched lo ledMu^ -
Swift of dispatch^ ajid e9sy of access.*'
Notwilhstanding the paiaa tbat bad been taken by Mr.
Mart3rR, the late earl of Shafteftbaiy did not timk the wpirk
attfficiently (inisfaed for publbeaticsi ; and, tbevefora^ some-
what more than tweoty years ago, be put it into the hands
of his friend I>r, Gregory Sha^i master of the ienq^
All, however, that Ebr. Sharpe.perfiMraied, was toreoomawod
it to the care of a. gentleman, who esEamined Mr. Mart^^e
manusoript with aittentioa, ^pointed ont its errors, made fe«
fereoces, and suggested a mux^r of initaaees in which it
might be improved, but did aot proceed much farther ia
the undertakii^.. At length, the work was consigned to
anotlmr person^ who -spent considerable labdur upon it,
enlarged it by a vanety of additions, and had it in con-
templation to avail himself of every degree of imiiarniatioti
which mi^t render it a correct hbtory of tfie time, as weU
as a narrative of the 1^ of lord Shaftesbury. The reiooos
(not unfriendly on either side) which prevented the peKKm
now menticmed from completing his design, and c^oassanefl
him to cetura the papers to the noble family, aiie ^fivt of
sufficient conseqaence to be Jbere related. Whether the
work is likely soon to appear, it is fiot in our power 'to as*
certain.
On this acooaat, written by Dr. Kippis for the last edi«>
tion of the Biog. Britannica, it is necessary to lematk, that
Mr. Msdone, in his Life of Dryden, has amply refuted the
story of the Charter-4)oase. With sespect to Mr. Martyn^s
work, it is more necessary to reooaik that the tast person^
called here tfnoi^r pelrsan^ to whom therevisal of it was
consigned, and who received 500/. for his tronhle, was
Dr. Kippis himself but it seems dtffioult to expiaih what
he means, by adding '^ Whether the wiork is likely soon to
appear, it is not in our power to ascertam*'* The volume
^ the Biographia in which this article occurs was pubhahiMi
in 1789; and six ye«rs afterwards, in 1795, Dr. iKippis died;
At the sale of his Ubvary, a quarto volume of a Life of
Lord Shaftesbury, evidently the one alluded to, was pur-*
chased by the late duke of Grafton, and must consequently.
have been printed some time between 1789 and 1795,
220 COOPER.
jnoftt probably privately, as no other copy, to the best •f
our recollection, has since been €»xposed to sale. ^
COOPER (Anthony Ashley), earl o£ Sbaftesbnry,. the
celebrated author of the Characterisdcs, was borp Feb. 26,
1671, at Exeter-house in London. His father was An-
thony earl of Shaftesbury ; his mother lady Dorothy Man-
ners, daughter of John earl of Rutland. He was bom in
.the boose of his grandfather Anthony first earl of Shafte»-
bory, and chancellor of England, of whom we haive spoken
^in the preceding article; who was fond of him from his
birth, and undertook the care of his education. He pur-
aued almost the same method in teaching him the learned
language^, as Montaigne's father did in teaching his son
Latin : that is, he placed a person about him, who was so
:thoroughly yersed in the Greek and Latin tongues, as to
vpeak either of them with the greatest fluency. This per-
son was a female, a Mrs. Birch, the daughter of a school-
master in Oxfordshire or Berkshire; and a woman who
could execute so extraordinary a tadc, deserves to have
her name recorded with honour aqnong the learned ladies of
England. By this means lord Shaftesbury made so great
a progress, that he could read both these languages with
ease when but eleven years old. At that age be was sent
by his grandfather to a private school; and in 1683 was
removed to Winchester school, but such waa the influence
of party-spirit at the time, that he was insulted for his
grandfather^s sake, by his companions, which made his
situation so disagreeable, that he begged his father to coni-
^aent to his going abroad. Accordingly he began his travels
in 1686, and spent a considerable time in Italy, where he
acquired great knowledge in the polite arts. This know-
ledge is very visible through all his writings ; that of the
art of painting is more particularly so, from the trekise he
composed upon ^' The Judgement of Hercules.'' He made
it hi$ endeavour, while he was abroad, to improve himself
AS much as possible in every accomplishment ; for which
reason he did not greatly afiect the company of other Eng-
lish gentlemen upon their travels ; and he was remarkable
for speaking French so readily, and with so good an accent,
. that in France he was often taken for a native.
.' Upon, his return to England in 1689, he was offered a
>, Biog. Brit. — Park's edition of Lord Orford's Royal and Noble Authors.*<«*
Seward's Anecdotes, vol. Il.^-Wood's Athene, toI. II. &c. ^c.
C O OP E R. 2iai
seat h) parliament from some of those boroqgbs where hw .
family had an interest ; but he declined it, and pursued
that strict course of study, which he had proposed to him*
self, near five years. He was then elected a burgess for
Poole : and, poon after his coming into pariiament, had an
opportunity of shewing that spirit of liberty, which he
maintained to the end of his life, when << The act for grant- .
ing counsel to prisoners in cases of high treason" was
brought into the housef. This he looked upon as import-
ant, and had prepared a speech in its behalf : but when be
stood up to speak it in the house of commons^ he was so
intimidated, that he lost all memory, and was quite unable '
to proceed. The house, after giving him a little time to re-
cover his confusion, called loudly for him to go on, when
he proceeded to this. effect : '^ If I, sir," addressing himself
to the speaker, ** who rise only to give my opinion on the '
bill now depending, am so coiifouaded, that I am unable
to express the least of what I proposed to say; what must
the condition of that, man be, who, without any assistanoe^
is pleading for his life'?'* During this atid other sessions,
in which he continued in the house bf commons, hegai^e a
consistent support to every motion for the farther security
of liberty: but the business of attending regularly the
house of commons, which in those active times ^nerally
sat long, in a few years so Impatred his health, naturally
never robust, that he was obhged to decline coming again
into parliament, after its dissolution in 1698.
Being thus at liberty, he went to Holland, where. he
spent his time in the conversation of Bayle, Le Clerc, and
other learned and ingenious men then residing in .that
country, whose acquaintance induced him to continue
there above a twelvemonth, and with whom he probably*
cultivated that speculative turn which appears in all bis
writings. When he went to Holland, he concealed ..his
name, as it is said, for the sake of beiug less interrupted*
in his studies, pretending only to be a student in physic,'
and in that character contracted an acquaintance with Bayle.
A little before his return to England, being willing to be.
known to him by his real name,. he contrived to have Bayle
invited to dinner by a friend, where he was told he was to
meet lord Ashley. Bayle accidentally calling upon* lord
Ashley that morning, was pressed by him. to stay; but
excused himself, saying, <* I can by no.^means 9tay, for I
Ma CO O P E R.
must be punctual to an engagement; wkere I am to meet
liiy lord Ashley.'' The next interview, as may be ima*
gined, oocasioned some mirth ; and the incident rather iti*
creased their intimacy, for they never ceased corresponding
till Bayle's death. During his absence in Holland, an im*
perfect edition of his *^ Inquiry intq Virtue" was published
at London ; Surreptitiously taken from a vi»ugb draught,
sketched when he was but twenty years of age. The
person who served him thus unhandsomely, was To-
land; on whom be is said to have conferred qiany favours,
and who miserably spoiled both his style and sentiments.
The treatise, however, acquired some reputation, and was
afterwards completed by the noble author, and published
in the second volume of the *^ ClmracteristicsJ'
Soon after he returned to England, be became earl of
Shaftesbury ; but did not attend the house of lords, till
his friend lord Somers sent a messenger to acquaint him
with the business of the partition treaty, February 1701.
On this be immediately wtot poi^ to London ; and though,
when lord Somers's letter was brought to him, be was be*
yond Bridgwater in Somersetshire, and his constitutioa
was ill calculated for any extraordinary fatigue, he traveled
with such speed, that he was in the house of peers on the
following day, exhibiting an instance of dispatch, which
at that time was less easy to be performed than it is at
present During the remainder of the session^ he attended
his parliamentary duty as much as bis health would per-
* mit, being earnest to support the measures of king' Wil-
liam, who was then engaged in forming Ae grand alliance.
Nothing, ip the earl of Shaftesbury^s judgment,, could
more effectually assist that glorious und^taking, tban the
6b<Hce of a good parliament. He used, therefore, his ut-
most efforts to facilitate the design ; and such was his suc-
cess, upon the election of a new house of eommon9 (par-^
ties at that crisis being nearly on an equality), that his
migesty told him he had turned the scale. So high was
the opinion which the king had formed of the earl's abili-
ties and character, that ^n offer was made him of being
appointed secretary of -state. This, however, his declining
constitution would not permit him to accept ; but, although
he was disabled from engaging in tbe course of official
businesis, he was capable of giving advice to his magesty,
who frequently consult^ him on ajFain^ of the highest im-«t
*porunce. Nay, it is understood that be had a great ahare*
COOPER. 223
in composing that celebrated lasi speech of king Wiffiam,
which was delivered on the Slat of Decemher, 1701.
Upon the accession of queen Anne to the throne, lord
Sfaauesburj returned to his retired manner of life, bein^
remoi^v£roni the vice«admiralty of the county of Dorset,
uriiich haa bei^n in the family for three successive genera-
tions. This slight, though it was a matter of little conse-
quence^ was the only one that could have been shewn him,
as it was the single thing which he had ever held under the
crown. The measure of taking it from him was supposed
to have or^nated in certain statesmen who resented his
services to another party in the preceding reign.
In the beginning of the year after, viz. 1703, he made a
second jotirnqr-to Holland, and returned to England in
the end of the year following. The French prophets sooiiv
after having by their enthusiastic extravagances created
much disturbance throughout the nation, among the dif*
ferent opinions as to the methods of suppressing them, some
advised a prosecution. But lord Shaftesbury, who ab-
horred any Utep which looked like persecution, appre-
hended that such measures tended rather to inflame than
to cure the disease : and this occasioned his '* Letter con-
cerning Enthusiasm,*' which he publislied in 1708, and sent
it to lord Somers, to whom he addressed it, though without
the mention either of his own or lord Somers^s name.
Jan. 1709, he published his *^ Moralists, a philosophical
rfaap^dy f ' and^ in May following, his ^^ Sensus communis,
or an essay upon the freedom of wi;t and humour.** The
same year he married Mrs. Jane Ewer, youngest daughter
of Thomas Ewer, esq. of Lee in Hertfordshire ; to whom
he was related, and by whom be had an only soii, Anthony
the fourth earl of Shaftesburyir From his correspondence,
it does not appear that he had any very extraordinary at«>
tacbment to this lady, or that the match added much to
his happiness, which some have attributed to a disappoint-
ment in a previous attachment. In 1710, his ^^ SoliloqujT,
or advice to an author,*' was printed. In 1711, finding his
health still declining, he was advised to leave England,
and seek assistance from a warmer climate. He set out
therefore for Italy in July 1711, and lived above a year,
after his arrival ; dying at Naples, Feb. 4, 1 7 1 3 .
The only pieces which he finished, after he came to
Naples, were, '^ The Judgement of Hercules,** and the
^' iJetter ^nc^ming Design ^** wfaicl^ last was first publishedL
224 COOPER.
/
in the edition of the Characteristics, 1732. The rest of
bis time be employed in arranging bis writings fi^r a more
elegant edition. The several prints» then first interspersed
through the work, were all invented by him^lf, and de-
signed under his immediate inspection : and be was at the
pains of drawing up a most accurate set of instructiona for
this purpose,' which ate still extant in manuscript.' In the
three volumes of the Characteristics, be .complet;ed the
whole of bis writings which be intended should be made
public. The first edition was piiblisbed in 171 1 ; but the
more complete apd elegant edition, , which has been the
standard of all editions since,, was not .published till 17i3y^
immediately after bis xleatb. But though lord Shaftes-
bury intended nothing .more for the public, yet, in 17 16,^
some of his letters were printed under the title of ^^ Several
Letters written by a noble lord to a young man at the ujii*:
versity :" and, in 1721, Toland published '^ Letters frooir
the late^earl of, Shaftesbury to Robert Moleswortb, esq.'*
Lord Shaftesbury is said to have had an esteem for sucb of
our divines (though he treated the. order very severely in
general) as explained Christianity most conformably to bis
own principleaf ; and it was under bis particular inspection^
and with a preface of bis own writing^ that a volume of
Whichcdt's sermons was published in 1698, from copies
taken in short hand, as they were delivered from the pul-
pit* This curious fact was some years ago ascertained oii
the authority of Dr. Huntingford, the present bishop of
Gloucester, who bad his information from James Harris>
esq. of Salisbury, son to a sister of the earl of Shaftesbury*.
Her brother dictated the preface to this lady, and it i^
certainly a pqpof that he had at least a general belief iii
Christianity, and a high respect for many, of the divines of
his time, and particularly for Whichcot. Dr.llunting^
ford's account was communicated to the last edition of the
Biographia BritanniCa; and in a copy of this volume of
sermons now before us, the same is written on jthe fly leaf,
as communicated by Dr. Huntingford to the then owner of
the volume, the late Dr. Chelsum. . , I
But lord Shaftesbury *s principal study was the writings
of antiquity ; and those which he most admired^ were the
znoral works of Xenophon, Horace, the Enchiridion bf
Epictetus, with Arrian's Commentaries, and Marcus Anto-
ninus. From these be formed to bimself the plan of bis'
philosophy : and the idea which be framed to bimself of
CO b P E Ri 225
philosophy ill general) may be best comprehended from the
following words of his, where addressing himself to a corre*^
spondenty he says : ^^Nor were there indeed any more than
two real distinct philosophies ; the one derived from So-
crates, and passing into the old academic, the peripatetic,
aind stoic ; the other derived in reality fi'om Democrifus,
and passing into the Cyrenaic, and Epicurean. For as for
that mere sceptic or new academic, it had no certain pre-
cepts, and so was an exercise of sophistry, rather than of
philosophy. The first therefore of these two philosophies
recommended action, concernment in civil affairs, religion,
&c. ; the second derided all this, and advised inaction and
retreat*. And good reason; for the first maintained, that
society, rightj and wrong, were founded in nature, and
that nature had a meaning, and was herself; that is to say,
in her wits, well governed, and administered by one simple
and perfect intelligence. The second again derided this,
and made providence and dame nature not so sensible as a
doting old woman. So the Epicurean in Cicero treats
providence, Anusfaiidica stoic&rum ir^ima. The first there-
fore of these philosophies is to be called the civil, social,
and theistic : the second the contrary.*'
It ren^ains now to notice more particularly the writings
of lord Shaftesbury, which by one class of critics, have re-
ceived the most extravagant applause, and, by another,
have been the subjects of indiscriminate condemnation.
They have been examined with a critical eye, and in ra-
ther an elaborate manner, by Dr. Kippis, to whose article,
in the BLographia Britannica, we refer the reader, con-
tenting ourselves with a brief outline. Lord Shaftesbury's
** Letter on Enthusiasm' ' was written from excellent mo-
tives : it contains many admirable remarks, delivered in a
neat and lively stmin ; butit wants precision ; conveys but
little information ; and contains some exceptionable pas-
sages. The same character may be given, with truth and
justice, of " The Essay on the Freedom of Wit and Hu-
mour,*' designed to defend the application of ridicule to
subjects of speculative inquiry, and among others to reli-
gious opinions. ' His '^ Soliloquy, oir Advice to an Author,"
Viet with more general approbation. It contains a variety
of excellept matter : and what the noble lord has advanced
in'recommendation of self-examina^on, and in defence of
critics and criticism, is particularl}" valuable: it is evi-
dently the result of the author^s knowledge and refined
Vol .X. Q
226 c a Q e i;/ Ki
taste in books, u% liffe, and miiRQers* Lord Shafiesbur}'*s
** Enquiry concemii>g; Virtue"' .obtained more general ap*
plaose, altbougb in some points it is liable to objectioii.
It is ably and .finely writC^n, aod maintains with grtot foree
the. important truths that virtue is the greatest happiness^
and vice tbe grealiest misery of men. In this ^' £nquiry/'
the noble author appeared in the close, the logical, Und
the didactic form. But in the ^^ Moruliets," he istheemu**
lator of. Plato, ip the boldest poetio manner of that.emtnent
philosopher. Bishop Hard ranks it among the best com-
positions of the kind in our language* Its matter is highly
valuable and important, and presents us with a trnly argu*
mefHative and eloquent defente of. the doctrines of a Deity
and a Providence^ The ^^ Miscellaneous Refieotions on
tlie preceding treatises, and other critical subjects,'' are
intended as a sort of defence and explanation of his fontier
works; but, although they contain a variety of just and m*-
genious remarks^ they abound with many exoeptionable
passages concerning revelation. With respect to the style
of lord Shaftesbury, we may quote the opinion of Dr«
Blair, which is at once accurate and judicious. '^ His lan-
guage has many beauties; it is .firm and supported in an
uncommon degree ; it is rich and musical. No English
author has attended so much to the regular construction
of his sentences, both with respect to propriety and
with respect to cadence. All this gives so much ele*-
gance and pomp to his language, tlmt there is no
wonder it should sometimes be highly admited. It is
greatly hurt, however, by. perpetual stifitiess and af-
fectation. This is its capital fault. His lordship can ex-
press nothing with simplicity. He seems to have con-
sidered it as vulgar, and beneath the dignity of a man of
quality, to speak like other men. Hence he is ever in
buskins, full of circumlocutions and artilicial elegance. In
every sentence we see the marks of labour and art ^ nothing
of that ease which expresses a sentiment coming natural
and warm from the heart. Of figures and ornaments of
every kind he is exceediogly fond ; sometimes happy in
them ; but his fondness for them is too visible^ and having
once laid hold of some metaphor or allusion that pleased,
he knows not how to part wit^ it. What is most wonderful,
he was a professed admirer of simplicity ; is always extol*
ling it., in the ancients, and censuring the moderns for
want of it/ though he departs from it himself as far as any
one modern whatever. Lord Shaftesbury possessed deli-
Q Q 0 f) R Rw ^27
cacy and refintinent : of IMibit0 arrd^ctt ^tbat fn9e amy c^l
excetsive jukI: sickly } Imi faerbci^ little'wartBth of passion ;
fevrsfiroiig 'Or 'vigorqucr fe^Un^y and tbeeolilhess of bis
cbaraoler'led bida to tbal«m6i^id|l'aiid stately [Qanner wbi«:h
appears in hlft wrmbgs* H^ ia foiider. of aoibing tharii of
wit and raillery ; but b^^ifar fcOBi b^ing bappy in /it. H^
attempts ab oft^^ but alway st-awkwArdiy; ^ b^Ms stifFeven ia
bis pleasantry^ «Dd laughs' ior form Ji^q aii ^tbor, aad B4>|
like a iiian^^' Lord Sbaftesbury nooMiiines proifessed bims^if
a Chriistian ; but fafis irritingft^ ii> n4i>y parfis^ r^oder bis faitb
in tbe diFtne aiiftsioo o{Ql^^9iri^&fy iqu03ti<]^ble. Xbe noble
Ibrd left one sbii^ AiklhoayfiMbl^y Cooper^ tbe foqrtb eairl^
ef whom tbeiiiearried BpoHuntingibrd »ay8> ^^ ihere n^vet
existed a maii^ oft pore, ben evdl^Qcei i»oral w^rtb^ £uid trua
piety/' Henwasdie autbor <Qf fthe life olhi^ father, jn ibe
greAt Genef^l /Diatienasyk ineluding Bayie. It may uoft
be improper to a<&l. itflf: tbia'^laee, ih^ tbe translator el
Xenophon's Cyropedia was tbe honourable Maurice Ashley
Coopef) brdtherfca theabird^earL*
COOPER (Jc^MN GilMf^7)i. an Knglish pqet and mis-,
eellaneous writer^ mi«$ Ibora io 1723. He de^conded^ ac^
wording to tbe acequnt ^i hid life in the Biog^phia Britan^
nica, from an anoient family in Nottingbami^hine, impove'^
•risbed oa aceouni of its loyalty daring the rebellion in
Charles tbe First's time. Tburgatoa. Priory in tbj^t count/
%vas granted to one of bis ancestors by Henry VIIL and after
some inteiTuption, became the residence^ of our poet's
father, and stitl continues in the ifaniily* Jn Thoroton:$
Nottinghamshire, it is stated that the tapnily , name was
Gilbert, ami* tbat^ in i7&G| John Gilbert, esq* obtained
leave to Use tbe surname and arms of Cooper, pursuant to
tbe will of Jokn Cooper, of Thurgaton, esq. He was edu*
cated at WeMminster^school under Dr. John Nichols, and
in 1 743 became a fellow-comaH>ner of Trinity ooUegey
Cambridge, where he resided two or three years, without
taking a degree, but not without a due attention to bis
studies. With soo:^ tincture of foppery, he was a young
man of ^ery lively parts, and attached to classical learning,
whicb it is only to be regretted be did not pursue with
judgment. He quitted the university oa his marriage with
Susanna, tbe grand-daughter of sir Nathan Wright, lord
^ Gen. Diet. toI. IX. art. Stiaftesbufy. — %io^. Brit first and second editions,
ace— Collinses Peerage, by sir £. Brydgeft.-^Park'j OrArd, roU IV.— »LeJaiKl'f
peiitical irritc tf.
Q2
22S C O O P ^ R.
keeper. In 1745, he publistaed ^The Poirer of Har«
mony,*' in two books, ib which be endeavoured to recooi*
mend |i constant attention to what is perfect and beautiftd
in nature, as the means of harmoiiising the. soul, to a re**
sponsive regularity and sympathetic order. This imitation
of the language of the l^aftiesbury school was not affecta*
tied. He haa studied the worfcs of that nobleman with en-
thusiasm, and seems entirely to have regulated his conduct
by the maxims of the ancient and modem academics.
The poem brought him into notice with the public, but he
appears not at this time to IniTe courted the fame of an-
tborsbip. When Dodsley began to publisb his ^' Museum,*^
be invited the aid of Mr. Cooper among others who were
friendly to him, and received a greater portion of assist^
ance from our author's pen tbsin from diat of any other in-^
dividual. His papers, however, were signed, not Fk^-^
ktfiesy as mentioned in the Biographia Britannica, but Fhp-
turetts.
In 1 749, he exhibited a curious specimen of sentimental
grief in a long Latin epitaph on hi» first son, who died the
day after his birth. It is now added to* the late edition of
his works, with a translation which appeared some years
%go. in the Gentleman's Magazine, and is precisely such a
translation as so ridiculous an original deserves. He after* *
wftrds^' aitbaugh it does not appear at what period, gave
Another instance of that romantic feeling which is apart
from triith and nature. Mr. Fitzherbert, the father of the
lite lord St. Helen's, found Cooper one morning, appa-
tetttly in such violent agitation, on account of the^indispow
sition of his second son, as to seem beyond the power of
cdmfort. At length, however, be exclaimed " IMl write
an Elegy." Mr. Fitzherbert being satisfied, by this, of
the sincerity of his einotioil's, slyly said, '^ Had' you not-
better titke a post-chaise and go and see him ?" ^
In 1749 he published with his name, ^^ The Life of So^-
crates, collected from all the ancient authorities." In this
work be; received many learned notes from the sturdy an-*;
tagoni^t of Warburton, the rev. John Jackson of Leicester^'
a controversial divine of . considerable fiime in his d^y.-
These notes were principally levelled at Warburton, and
in language not very respectful. Warburton, who knew
Jackson, but probal^ly little of Cooper, retorted by a note,
la bis edition of Pope's Works, on the Essay of Criticism,
in which he accused the author of the Life of -Socrates of .
e O i) P E H. 1229
impudent abuse and slander, the ofF8{lririg df ignorance
joined with vanii:y. Cooper^s vanity, it must be confessed,
is amply displayed in this work^' and it is impossible to
justify bis aflected contempt for writers of established re*
putation. Warburton's rebuke^ however, was very coarse,
and appears to have alarmed him, for be was not naturally
-^ of an abusive turn, but, . on the contrary, rather prideS
himself on a mind superior to personal anisiositie^. In his
defence, therefore, he published Remarks on Warburtoh^s
, edition of Pope, in which he professes that he had at-
tacked him as an author, and' not a& a man, and did n6t, afs
a fair antagonist, deserve to be called an impudent slan^
derer. He nesct examines a few of Warburton's notes on
Pope, and endeavours ta prove his incapacity as a com<-
oientator. He betrays, however, that the real cause of
bis introducihg Warburton's name into the Life of Socrates,
was his want of veneration jfor Mr. Cooper's imiwmte pht*
losophers, Shaftesbury, Rutcheson, &c. The whole is
written with; much acrimooy, but with a very considerable
display of learning. In the former, at least, there is re^
son to think,. he was assisted by Jackson ; but the Life of
Socrates brought . very little reputation to its author, and
after some years^ Warburton's angry note was odaitted
from the editions of Pope.
In 1754 he appeared to more advantage as. the author of
^' Letters on Taste," a small volume which soon passed
through three or four editions. Taste bald not at this time
been, treated in a philosophical manner, and as the author
set out with liberal professions, his readers were induced
to take for granted that he had thrown much new light on
the subject. Hei^ however, origii^al only in the manner
in which he has contrived to throw a charm over a few ac-
knowledged truths and common^place opinions. Instead
of bejginning by definition^ and proceeding gradually to
analyse the pleasure resulting from what are generally con-
sidlfred as the objects of true taste, he lets loose his ima^-
guuition,' invites his reader into fairy* land, and delights
hiitt by excursive remarks and aitegd^rical details, but in
a style which even Johnston, : who :had no great opinion of
Cooper, allowed to be splendid and spirited.
In.l7ir5 he published the <^ Tomb of Shakspeare,-^ a
vision, and when the "World": was set up by Dodsley
and Moore, he contributed two papers. In 1756, he ap-
pears to^ have caught :tb^ fU^m v^ry general at that time
2S6 C' a 0 P E' R;
among the cBemies of admiriist^nsttion, lest the Hessiao
troops, brought into the countryt(^ defend the kingdom from
invasion^ should beinstruiYiemalin subverting its liberties.
Mr. Cooper was no poHticiai), -but he was a poet, and he
determined to contribate his share of warning, in a poem
entitled ** The Genius of. Britain/* addr-essed to Mr. Pitt.
In 1758 he published << Epistles to the Great-, from Aris-
tippus in retirement," and- soon after: ^^ The Call of Ariis*
tippus,-* addressed to Dr. Akenside, ih a style of adulation
pardonable only to th6\warmest feelings of friendship.
Some othet of his lesser pieces were li^published about this
time y and in 17-59 his translation of Cresset's ** Ver Vert,**
a mock heroic poem in four cantos* In 1764, all these,
with the exception of the ^* V;er Vert,'' and e^* The Esti-
mate of Life," were published irt one volume by Dodsley,
whom he allowed to take that Mbefty, and who informs us
that they were originally written for the author's amuse-
ment, and afterwards published • for the bookseller's profit.
At this time, he had probably taken leave of the muses^
and was applying himself to the active and useful duties of
a magistrate. He resided, ' hoWeVer, occasionally in Lon-
don, and was a constant attendatit atid frequent speaker at
the Society- for' the Eucouragem^nt of Arts, Manufactures,
and Commerce. Of this he had unsuccessfully endea^-
voured to bbcome a vice-president, and felt his disappoint-
inent so keenly as to retire in disgust; He died at his
house in May Fair, after a long and excruciating illness^
occasioned by the stone, April 14, 17169, in the forty*
sixth year of his age. <
Dr. Kippis, who knew him personally, informs us thtft
he was a gentleman of polity address and addomplishmentk,
and if the general tenour of his works may be oredited,
be possessed an ^fniable and aifiectionate heart. His chief
foible was vanitv, biit this is more discoverable in his wri*
tings than it probably was in his life. There are few of the
mhioF poets who have higher claims to originality. The
^* Epistles to Aristippus," his songs, and the "Father's
Advice to bis Son,** although of unequal merit, contain
many passages that are truly- poetical. His veneration fbc
some of the French poets, particularly Gresset, induced .
him to attempt a mode of 'versification^ in the Epistles, to
which the English ear eannot eltsily become familiar, and
which is not to be justifijed from any defect in the manliness
f»f copiousness of tb^ English language. Yet this study of
COOPER, S31
the Freneh writers, of no u^e in other respects, has ren-
dered hU translation of the " Ver Vert" almost a perfect
isopy of the original, and far superior to the coarse version
since published by the late Dr. Geddes. ^
COOPER (Samuel), an eminent English painter, was
born in London in 1609, and bred under the care and dis-
cipline of Mr. Hoskins, his uncte : but derired the most
considerable advantages from his observations on the works
of Vs^n Dyjck, insomuch that he was commonly styled the
Van Dyck in miniature. His pencil was generally con-
fined to a head only i ai>d indeed below that part he was
jnot always so successful as could be wished. But for a
face, and all the dependencies of it, namely the graceful
and becoming air, the strength, relievo, and noble spirit,
the softness and tender liveliness of flesh and blood, and
the looseness and gentle management of the hair, his ta-
lent was so extraordinary, that, for the honour of our na-
tion, it may without vanity be affirmed, he was at least
equal to the most famous Italians ; and that hardly any one
of his. predecessors has ev€fr b^en able to $hevv so much
perfection in so narrow a compass. The high prices of
his works, ai)d the great ^esteem in which they were held
at Ro.in.e, Venice, apd in France, were abundant proofs of
their great .worth, and extended the fame of this master
througbout Europe. He so far exceeded his master and
uncle Hoskms, that the latter became jealous of him; and
finding that the court was better pleased with his nephew^s
performances than with his, he took him' into partnership
with him, but his jealousy increasing, he dissolved it; leav-
ing our artist to ^t up for himself^ and to carry, as he did,
most of the business of that time before him. He drew
Charles II, and his queen, the duchess of Cleveland, the
duk^e of Yorky and most of the cojurt : but the two most
famous pieces .of bis were those of Oliver Cromwell, and
of QD.e ^wingfield. The French king offered 150/. for the
/Ebrnx^r* but was refus^^d ; and Cooper carrying the latter,
rwi^i ^Q^ to France, it was much admired there, and in-
troduce^ him ijito the favour of that court. He likewise
didi ^ey^eral large limnings in an pnusual size for the court
qf ^pgil^^d ; mr which bis widow received a pension dur-
ing Mer lil^. from the crown. This widow was sister to the
jnod)(e^ pf ib« c^lebrate^^Pope.
I Biog. Brit^JohoMD and CbBlnert'v F.n^Ksh Poets.
?3? COOPER.
Answerable to Cooper!8 abilittes iiv painting, was hta
^fcill in music; and hewas reckoned one of the best lute*
llist^y as well as the most excellent limner, of his time.
He spent several years of his life abroad, was personally
acquainted with the greatest men of France, Holland, and
his own country, and by his works was untrersally known
in all parts of Europe. He died at London May 5, 1672,
aged 63, and was buried in Pancras church in the fields ;
where there is a fine marble monument set over him, with
$t Latin inscription.
He had an elder brother, Alexander Cooper, who was
also brought up to limning by Uoskins, their uncle. Alex-
ander perforined well in miniatiire; and going beyond
sea, became limner to Christina, queen of Sweden, yet
was far exceeded by his brother Samuel. He also painted
landscapes Jn water-^coloura extremely well, and was ac-
counted an admirable draughtsman.^
COOPER or COUPER (Thomas), a learned English
bishop, was born at Oxford about 1517, and educated in
the school adjoining to Mag'dalen college ; and, having
jp^ti,de great progress in grammar learning, and gained high
r^PMtation, he was there elected first demy, then proba-
tioner in 1539, and perpetual fellow the year after. He
.quitt!g4 bi^ fellowship in 1546, being then married, as iris
supposed.; and when queen Mary came to the crown, ap-?
pli^d himself to the study of physic, and, taking a bache-
Iqr's degree, practised it at Oxford, because he was secretly
inclined to the Protestant religion ; but upon the' death of
that queen, he returned to his former study of divinity.
March 1^^7, he took the degree of D.D. and about that
time vas qaade dean of Christ*cburch. I^ 1569 he was.
made iesat of Gloucester, and the year after bishop of Lin-
coln. July 1 572, he preached a sermon at St. Paul*s cross^
in vindication of the church of England and its liturgy ; to
which an answer wa^ s^nt him by a disaffected person, whieh
i^nswer Strype has pqnted at length in his ^' Annals of
.the Reformation. ^V In 14177 the queen sent him a letter to
pi^t a stop to those public exercises called prophesyings, in
his diocese* These propbesyingsi were grounded upon
1 Cor. i^iy. 31. *^ Ye may all prophesy one by one, that
all n^^y }earn, and all may be comforted.^' They were set
on foot in several parts of the king^qa aboY:|t 1571; and con-
f M^t1po1e*s Anecdotes. — Pilkii^^ton.
COOPER. ?S3
I
fisted, of confer^ioes atnong the clergy, for the better im-*
proving of tbemaelvesy and one another, in the ktiowledge
of scripture and divinity ; but in 1577 were generally sup*
ffressed, on account- of their being thought seminaries of
fi!untanisin.> In. 1594 be wa» translated to the bishopric of
Winchester ; which diocese abounding greatly with papists^
he petitioned the prtvy-cQuncil to suppress them ; and
among other methods proposed, f < that an hundred or two
of obstinate reeusaAits^ lusty men, well able to labour^
might by some convenient commission, be taken up, and
be sent into Flanders as pioneers and labourers, whereby
the country should be disburdened of a company of dan^
gerous people, and the rest, that remained be put in some
fear." ,
This reverend and holy bishop, as Wood calls him,
upon the discovery of William Parry's treason, issued ai)
order of prayer and thanksgivijig for the preservation' of
the queen 'S life iuid safety, to be used in the diocese of
Winchester; and,. Nov. 17,. 1588, preached at St. Paul'fc
cross, that being a day of public thanksgiving, a^ welt for
the queen's accession, as for the victory obtained oveir the
Spanish armada. He died at Winchester in Apiil 1594,
and was buried in the cathedral there. Over his gravies
which is- on the south side of the choir, ivas coon aft)sr
lewl a flat marble, with a Latin inscription in pro^e afid
verse, which was probably defaced at the new paving of tb^
clK>ir. . , . • :
The character of this bishop has been represented in 'an
advantageous light by several writers. Bale styles him- a
^very learned. man : eloquent, and well acquainted with the '
.English and Latin languages ; and Godwin says, that he
was a man of great gravity, learning, and holiness of life.
*^ He was,^' says Wood, *^ furnished with all kind of learh-
ingy almost beyond all his contemporaries; and not only
. adorped the pulpit with his sermons, but also the common-
wealth of learning with his writings.*' *^ Of him," says sir
John . Harrington^ ^^ I can say much ; and I should do him
great wrong, if I should say nothing: for he was indeed a
reverend man, very well learned,, exceeding industrious';
4^nd, which was in those days counted a great praise to him,
and a chief cause of his preferment, he wrote that grefat
dictionary that yet bq^s his name. His life in Oxford
was very commendable, and in some sort saint-like ; for,
if it is saint-like to live unreproveable, to bear a cross par
S84 COOPER.
tiently^ to focgtre great injuries freely, thb man's example
13 saoifleless in .tbi$ age ^." He married a wife at OxfeNrxiy
by whom he bad two daughters : bat he was not bappy with
ber, she proving un&itbful to bis. bed. ^^ The whole uni>
versity/' sir John Harrington tells us, ^^ in reverence to the
majDy and indignity of the matter, offered to separate ber
from him by public authority, and so to set him free, being
the innocent party : but be woald by no means i^ree
thereto, alleging he knew his own infirmity, that he might
not live unmarried ; and to divorce and macry again, he
would not charge his conduct with so great a scandal.'* The
character of this woman makes us doubt the story that
she burnt the notes which her husband tuid, for eight years,
been collecting for his dictionary, lest he should kill him-
self with study. Such a proof of afiection, however per-
plexing to a student, was not likely from such a wife as
Mrs. Coo|ier«
His writings were : 1. <^ The epitome of Chronicles from
the 17th year after Christ to 1540, and thence to 156C.^
The two first parts of this chronicle, and the beginning of
the third, as far as the 17th year after Christ, were com-
posed by Thomas Lanquet, a young man of 24 years old : but
be dying immaturely^ Cooper finished the work, andpub^-
lisbed it under the title of ^^ Cooper's Chronicle/' thoug^h
the running^title of the first and second part is>' Lanquet's
Chronicle." A faulty edition of this work was published
surreptitiously in 1559; but that of 1 560, in 4to, was re^-
vised and corrected by Cooper. 12. ^^ Thesaurus Linguce
SlomansB & Britannicse,^' &c. and, ^^ Dictionarinm bisto«>
ricum ,& poeticum,'* 1 565, folio. This dictionary was so
much esteemed by queen Elizabeth, that,she endeavoured,
as Wiood tells us, to promote the author for it in the church
ds high as she could. It is an improvement of *^ Biblio-
tbeca £Uot«,'' £liot's Uborary or dictionary, printed in
1541 ; or, as some think, it is taken out •erf Robert Ste-
pliens^s ^^ Thesaurus Lingute Latinae, and ^^ Frisii 'Lexicon
i^tino-Teutonicum.'' 5. ^^ A brief exposition of sneb chap^
jters of the Old Testament as usually are read in the church
at common prayer, on the Sundays throughout the year,^'
1573, 3to* 4* " A sermon at Lincoln,'^ 1576, «vot 5.
* Tb« only charge brought agaiQst his bishopric produced 2,700/. )iis
bim was that of covetousness, \diile clear "profits amounted only lo 398/.
Jbitbop of Winchester; but this he Strype's Annals, Appen<1tx, toI. Ill-
fuUy refuted, by proving that, thoii^h p. 59,
C O a P E R. 235
•
^^ Twelve Sermons/' 1580, 4to. 6. << An admonition ta
the people of England, wherein are answered not only the
slanderous untruths reproacbfuliy uttered by Martin the li-
beller, but also many other crimes by some of bis broody
objected generally against all bishops and the chief of the
clergy, purposely to defiuse and discredit the present state
of the church,*' L589, 4to« This was an answer to John
ap Henry's books against the established church, pnblisfaed
under the name of Martin Mar^Prelate. Ap Henry, or bis
accomplices, replied to tke bis(iop's book, in two ludicrous
pamphlets, entitled, ** Ha' ye any work far a Cooper ?"
and *^ More work for a Cooper." *
COOTE (Sir Chjlkles), a distinguished military officer
>in the 17th century, was the eldest son of Sir Charles
Caotey who was created barteet in April 1621* He was a;
gentleman of great consideration in Ireland. Upon tbe
breaking out of the rebellion, in 1641, he had a oottimission
fm a regiment of foot, and was made governor of Dublin.
From this period to the year 1652, he was engaged in si
great number of important services ifor his country. In
almost' all the contests of which be took a part, he
was successful After Ireland was reduced to the obadi^no^
of the parliament, sir Charles was one of the court of jus^
tice in the province of Connaught, of which be was made
S resident by act of parliament. Being in England at tiie
one o£( tfhe deposing of Richard Cromwell, he went post
Id Ire^land, to carry the news to his brother Henry Crofa-*
well, that they might secure themselves ; but when he per*
ceived that king Charles the Second's interest was likely to
prevail, be sent to the king sir Arthur Forbesj ** to assure
bis .Majesty of sir Charles's affection and duty, and that if
his Majesty would vouchsafe to come to Ireland, he was
confident the whole kingdom would declare for him ; that
though the present power in England had removed all the
sober men frooa the government of the state in Ireland, under
the character of pnesbytarians, and had put Ludlow, Corbet,
and others of the king's judges in their places, yet they were
generally so odious to the army as well as to the people,
that- they could sei^e on their persons* and tlie castle of
Publin \ffbBn they should judge it convenient." The king
did not think it prudent to accept the invitation. In a short
I" '
* Biog. Brit— podwin.— Ath. Ox. vol. I.— Strype's Parker, p. 316, 346, [451]
465.— Strype'* Whi^ift, p. 132, 187, 288, 299.— Harripgion»s Brief. View,
p. 61,
236 C O.O T E.
ft'
timeafter, sir paries Coote, and some others^ so influence
the whole, council of officers, that they prevailed upon them
to vote not, to receive .colonel Ludlow as commander in
chief, and made themselves masta:^ of Athlone, Orogheda,
Limerick, Dublin^ and other important places, for the ser-
vice of the king* He immediately caused colonel Monk
to be made acquainted with the progress^ of the king's in-
terest in Ireland, who urged them by every means not to
restore the suspended commissioners to the exercise of
their authority. Soon after,, sir Charles Coote and others
sent to the parliament a charge of high treason against co^
lonel Ludlow, Corbet, Jones, and l*homlinson. He like-
wise made himself master of Dublin castle ; and apprer
hended.iJohn Coke, chief justice of Ireland, who had been
solicitor-general at the trial of king Charles I.^ Notwidi-
standing diis, parliament thought themselves so sure of bim
in their interest, that he received their vote of thanks on
the 5th of Jan. 1659-60. On the 19th of the same month
be was appointed one of the commissioners for liie mam^et
ment of the afiairs of Ireland. Before those conmiissi^n^i
ers declared for king Chairles, they insisted upon pertain
things relating to their interest as members x>f that nation;
On the 6th ol September 1660, sir Charles Coote, on ac<-.
count of his many iand very valuable services for the royal
cause, was created baron and viscount Coote, and earl of
Montrath in the Queen's county. He was also apjpointed
one of the lords iustices of Ireland, but he did not long
enjoy these marks of his sovereign's favour, for be died in
December 1661, and was succeeded in bis eslate^iud titles
by his son Charles, the second earl. Dr. Leland asserts that
Coote and his father bad engaged in the parliamentaiy ser^
vice not from principle, but interest. Dr. Kippis, ho«r-
ever, doubts the assertion, upon the ground that tte. Cbot^
were zealous presbyteriaus ; and therefore. be thinks it
highly probable that they were influenced, at leastin part,
by their real sentiments, civil and religious, and especially
by their aversion from popery. V - -^
COOTE (Sir Eyris), a descendant of the precedifig
family, was the son of Chidley Coote, esq. by Jane^ sister
of, George lord Carbery« . He was born in 17^6, and^
having a^ an early period devoted himself to arms, if me
are not misinformed, served in his majesty's troops durii^
*.Biog.Brit.— Clarke's Lives, fol. 1684.
C O O T E. , 237
tht rebellion in 1745. In the beginning of the year 1754
the regiment under colonel Aidercon, to which $ir Eyre
Coote belonged, embarked from Ireland to the East Indies.
In January* 1757, sir Eyre, then a captain, was^rdered by
admiral Watson to take possession of Calcutta, surrendered
by the nabob, of which he was appointed governor, but of
which he was almost immediately dispossessed by colonel
Glive, who claimed to be the superior officer. •He was.
afterwards employed in the reduction of Houghley and of
Chandenagore. At the battle of Plassey, in June, he sig«
nalized himself so much, as to be entitled to a considerable
share of tbe honour of that important victory.* In July,
being then a major, he was detached with a party in puf *
stilt of monsieur Law, who had collected together the dis-
persed French ; which expedition, though it did not suc«
ceed as to its principal object, the capture of Mr. Law,
was yet attekided with advantages both to the company and
the country at large. In the same year, general Laliy
threatening the siege of Trichinopoly, major Coote, then
become a colonel, drew together what forces he could, and
invested Wandewash, which he took the 30th of November,,
in tiiree days. Knowing the advantage' of this place, ge*
neral Lally attempted to retake it, which brought ofi an
engagement the 2l2d of July 1760, in wkich the French
troops were entirely routed, and, with their general, fled,
in despair to Pondich^rry.
The siege of this place commenced on the 26th of No-'
vember^and was carried on with unremitted diligence until-
the middle of January 176}, when the English forces took,
possession of this important town ; the garrison, consisting
of 1400 European soldiers, became prisoners of war ; and
a vast quantity of military forces, and great riches, were
given up at discretion to the victors. This was. tbe final
blbw to the French power in India. On the coloners re-
turn to England, the next year, l^e was presented by the
eourt of directors with a diamond-hilted sword, which cost '
700/. as a testimony of gratitude for the important services
he had done. At the close of 1769, or very early in 1770,
he was appointed commander in chief of the East India
Company's forces in India. 'He reached IVladras in 1770,
but left that place again in October to proceed to Bussomh,
from whetice he prosecuted bis journey to Europe -over-
land. The reason of his quitting FoTt St^Georg^ was sup-
posed to have been owing to a dispute with the governor
tU C O O T E.
there. . On the 31iit q( Aug<ipt \27 i .im\wmiV»s^^eA mth
the onler of the fiath; and in IVIarcb i77.? beb«eaiQe oo^
lonel of the 37 tU regimeni of. foot, wbipb being statioiYCUi
in Scotland, be resided at Fort Qeorg9. there as governor.
On the death of general CUve^fing in ibe £aat. Iodi£^» air
Eyre Coote was apfK>infced a nien^.ber ol ihe supreoae coun^f
(:il at Bengal, and coOimander Qf Uie British troop*. In
n^O, Hyder Ally having invaded the Carnatic, gej;ierar'
CoDte wad 6ent with money and a rei<^or<{i$ment of troops
from Bengal to the coast of Corooiandei, where he asaunaed
the command of the armyi
AboQt July ilSi he with 10,000 men^ Europeans and
n^tivefl, defeated Hyder's army, coiptsistiiig of more than
150,000^ near Porto Novo. This was the first check of
momeot gi^en to his career ; and^ during the succeeding
progress of .the war^ Hyder was repeatedly defeated by
sir £yre Coote. In IT'SS, the public service again re^
quiring bis presence in the Carnatic, be^ though in a dyinf^
state, again* left Calcutta for Madras^ in order to re^asauoie
the command of the arpiy upon that coast. He arrived at
Madras the 24th April 1 783, and died two days after. UU
corpse was sent to England^ and landed ^t the Jetty head
2d September 1784, and deposited in the chapel at Ply 4.
mouth until th^7th, when it proceeded to WestRark^ the
family-seat in Hampshire, and was from thence removed
on the 14th for interment in the parish^chorch of Bock«
wood.*
COPERNICUS (Nicholas), an eminient .-aatronotner^
was born. at Thorn in Prussia, January 19» 1473. His i«i«>
ther was a stranger, but from what part of Europe is un-*
known. He settled here as a merchant, and the archives
pf the city prove that be obtained the freedom of Thora
in 1462. It seems clear that he must have been in opulent
circumstances, and of consideration, not ooly from the
liberal education which he bestowed upon bis son, but
from the rank of his wife^ the sister of LucaWataelrode^
jbishop of Ermeland, a prelate descended from one of the
most illustrious families of Polish Prussia* Nicholas Mra^
instructed in- the Latin and Greek languages at home ; and
afterward sent to Cracow, where he studied phiios$»phy^
mathematics, and medicine : thou^ his genius was natu*
rally turned to mathematics, which he chiefly studied,., and
1 Gent. Mag. See Index ; and vol* LXXX. p. ^03.
COPERNICUS i%9
pursued through all its various branches. He set out fop
Italy at twenty-three years of age; stopping sit Bolognd^
that he aiight converse with the celebrated astronomer^tfif
that place, Dominic Maria, whom he assisted for pome
time in making his observations. From^ience he passed to
Romei where he was presently considered as not inferior
to the famous Regiomontanus. Here he soon acquired so
great a reputation, that jie was chosen professor of nKitfae-»
matics, which he taught there for a long time with the
greatest applause ; and here also he made .some astrono-*
mical observations about the year 1 500.
Afterward, returning to his own country, he began to
apply his fund of observations and mathematical know-i
ledge, to correcting the system of astronomy which then
prevailed. He set about Mlecting all: tbe^ books that had
been written by philosophers and astronomers, and to. exa-
mine all the various hypotheses they had M^^ented for the
solution of t\ie celestial phdenomena ; to try if a more sym*
metrical order and coiistitutiqp^ of the parts of the world
could not be discovered, and a more just ,and ei^quisite
harinoiiy' in its motions established, than what the astronon
mei's of those times so easily admitted. But of all, their
hypi^heses, pone pleased him so well as the Pythagorean^*
wlHch made the sun to be the centre of the system, and
sct^posed .the earth to move both round the sun, and also
round its own axis. He thought he discerned much beaji"
tiful order and proportion in this ; and that all the embar*^
rassment and perplexity, from epicycles and excentrics^
which attended the. Ptolemaic hypotheses, would here be
entirely removed^
Xhis systeno he. bega^ to consider, and to write upon,
when he wa3 about thirty-five years of age. He carefully
contemplated . the phenomena; made mathematical calcu-^
lations; examined the -observations of the ancients, and
made new ones of his own ; till, after more than twenty
years chiefly spent in this manner, he brought his scheme
to perfection, estabUsbing that system of tbe world which
goes by his name, and is now universally received by all
phifosophers. It had, indeed,, been maintained by many
of the ancients ; particularly Ecphantus, Seleucus, Aristar*
chus, Philolaus^ Cleanthes Samius, Nicetas, Heraclides
Ponticus, Plato, and Pythagoras ; from the last of whom
it was anciently called the Pythagoric, or Pythagorean sys-
tem. It was also held by Archimedes, in his book of the
240 C O P E ft N I C tJ Ji. .
number of the grains of sand ; but after him it became neg;-
lected, and even forgotten, for many ages^ till Coperni-
cus revived it ; from whom it* took the new name of the
Copernican system.
This system, however, was at first looked upon as a
most dangerous heresy, and bis work bad long been finished
and perfected, before he could be prevailed, upon to give
it to the world, although strongly urged to it by his friends.
At length, yielding to their entreaties, it was printed, and
he had but just received a perfect copy, when he died the
24th of May 1543, at 70 years of age ; by which it is pro-
bable he was happily relieved from the violent fanatical
persecutions which were but too likely to follow the public
cation of his astronomical opinions ; and which indeed was
afterward the fate of Galileo, fbr adopting and defending
them. The system of Copernicus, says a late learned
writer, was not received, on its appearance, with any de-
gree of that approbation which it deserved, atid which it
now universally obtains. Ifft cold reception, indeed, fully
justified the hesitation and tardiness of the author to com-
municate it to the world, it gave such a violent contradic-
tion both to the philosophical principles of the age, and
the immediate evidence of sense, that all its advantages
were undervalued, and proved insufficient to procure to it
. general credit. The conception of Copernicus which re-
presented the distance of the fixed stars from the sun to be
so immense, that in comparison with it the whole diameter
of the terrestrial orbit shrunk into an imperceptible point,
was too great to. be adopted suddenly by men accustomed
to. refer all magnitudes to the earth, and to consider the
earth as the principal object in the universe. Instead of
being reckoned an answer to the objection against the an-
nual revolution of the earth, that her axis was not found
directed to different stars, it was rather considered as the
subterfuge of one who had invented, and therefore tried to
vindicate an absurdity; and when, in answer to another
equally powerful objection, that no varieties of phase were
seen in the planets, especially in Venus and Mercury, Co-
pernicus could only express bis hopes that such varieties
would be discovered in future times, his reply, though it
now raises admiration, could not in his own times make
the least impression on those who opposed his system.
The above work of Copernicus, first printed at Norim-
berg in folio, 1543, and of which there have been other
C O P E R N 1 G U S. 241
'editions since, i3 entitled- "De revolutionibus orbium cob-
lestium,'* being a large body of astronomy^ in six books^
When Rbeticus, the disciple of our author, returned out of
Prussia, he brought with iiim a tract of Cope/'uicus on
plane and spherical trigonometry, which he had printed at ,
Nortmberg, and which contained a table' of sines. It was
afterward printed at the end of the first book of the Revo-
lutions. An edition of. our author's - great work was also
published in 4to, at Amsterdam, in 1617, under the title
of ^^ Astronomia instaurata,'' illustrated with notes by Ni-
colas Muler of Groningen.
It has not yet be^n noticed that Copernicus was in the
church, and is said to have performed the duties of his
function with care, but does not appear to have cpncerned
himself with the di9putes occasioned by the reforinatiom
He was indebted to the patronage of his maternal uncle for
his ecclesiastical promotions ; being made a prebendary of
th^ church of St. John at Thorn, and a canon of the church
of Frawenberg in the diocese of Ermdatid.
.A late traveller observes, as not a little remarkable, that
so sublime a discovery as Copernicus produced, should
have originated in a part of Europe the most obscure, and
hardly civilized, while it escaped the finer genius of Italy
and^'of France. He also informs us, that at Thorn, though
apart of the building has been destroyed by fire, the chain-
ber is ^tiU religiously preserved . in which Copernicus was
born. His remains are buried under a fiat stone, in one
of the side'ailes of the most ancient church of ThonK
Ailove is erected a* small monument, on which is painted a'
bilf-ieiigth portrait of him. The face is that of a man de-
clined in years, pale lind thin ; but there is, in the expres-i^
siOn of the countei^ahcfe>' something which pleases, and^
CORVES the idea of iiitelltgence. His hair and eyes axe
blacky^^ his bands joined in prayer, and he is habited in the
dress of a« priest ^ before him is a c)rucifix, at his foot a
akull, and behind iilppea^ a globe and compass. When
expiring ho is said'to have- confessed himself, as long and
unifoorm tradition reports,* in' the following Latin Terses^^
which are inscribed on the monumeiit :
* : / i< jjqjj parem Paulo gratiam requiro^
*VenifiuJi Petri ne'que p6s6o > sed quam
, .In crucis Ugno d^erat latroni> .
Sedulus era.*'
Vot. X- R •
«42 COPERNICUS-
These demonstrate, that when near his dissolution, all
eares or inquiries, except those of a religious nature, bad
ceased to affect or agitate him. ^
COQUES (GONZALO), an esteemed painter of portraits and
conversations, was born at Antwerp in 1618, and was a disciple
of the old David Ryckaert, under whose direction he applied
himself diligently to cultivate those promising talents which
he possessed, not only by practising the best rules admi-
nistered to him by his instructor, but also by studying na-
ture with singular attention. He was a great admirer of
Vandyck ; and fixing on the manner of that gveat artist as
bis model, had the happiness of so far succeeding, diat
next to him he was esteemed equal to any other painter of
his time. In the school of Ryckaert, he had been accus-
tomed to paint conversations, and he frequently composed
subjects of fancy, like Teniers, Ostade, and bis msister ;
and by that habit he introduced a very agreeable style of
portrait^paiuting in a kind of historical conversations, which
seemed mnch more acceptable to persons of taste than the
general manner of painting portraits, and procured him
great reputation and riches. In that way he composed se-
yeral fine pictures for Charles L and likewise several for
the archduke Leopold and the prince of Orange ; which
latter prince, as a mark of respect, presented Coques with
a rich gold chain, and a gold medal, on which the bust of
that prince was impressed. He died in 1684. He had an
excellent pencil ; his portraits were well designed, with
easy natural attitudes ; he disposed the figures in his com-
position so as to avoid confusion and embarrassment ; hn
gave an extraordinary clearness of colour to his beads and
^nds ; and his touch was free, firm, and broad — ^a circum-
stance rery uncommon in woriss of a small size. *
CORAM (Capt. Thomas), an eminent philanthropist,
was bom about 1668, bred to the sea, and spent the first
part of his life as master of a vessel trading to our colonies.
While he resided in that part of the metropolis which is the
ccHnmon residence of sea-faring people, business often
obliged him to come early into the city and return late ;
when he had frequent occasions of seeing young childrea
1 MererL— Martin's Bios* Philos.— Hutton's Diet— Wraxall^ Memtfln •(
the Courts of Berlin, &c.— Small's Account of Kepler's Discoveries, 8vo, 1803.
—Lord Bnchan's Correspondence with Bemouille, and a portrait, in Gent.
Mas. Tol. LXVIl.— Oassendi Opera, vol. V. wlMTc is his life.
* FiUdi^^oil»-*i;^anips,--*D'ArscnTiUe.
C O RAM: - ' 2*S
exposed, through the indigence or cruelty of their parents.
This excited his compassion so far, that h6 projected the
Foundling, Hospital; in which humane design he laboured
seventeen years, and at last, by his sole application, ob«
tained the royal charter for it. He was highly instrumentol
in promoting another good design, viz. the procuring a
bounty upon naval stores imported from the colonies; and
was eminently concerned in setting on foot the colonies of
Georgia and Nova Scotia. His last charitable design, ia
which he lived to make some progress, but not to complete^
was a scheme for uniting the Indians in North America
more closely to the British interest, by an establishment for
the education of Indian girls. Indeed he spent a great
part of his life in serving the public, and with so total a
disregard to his private interest, that towards the latter
part of it he was himself supported by the voluntary sub-
scriptions of public-spirited persons ; at the head of whom
was that truly amiable and benevolent prince Frederic^
late prince of Wales. When Dr. Brocklesby applied to
the good old man, to know whether his setting on foot a
subscription fer his benefit would not offend him, he re-
ceived this noble answer : ** 1 have not wasted the little
wealth, of which I was formerly possessed, in self-indul-
geuce or vain expences, and am not ashamed to confess
that, in this my old age, I am poor.*'
This singular and memorable man died at his lodgings
near Leicester-square, March 29, 1751, in his 84th year;
and was interred, pursuant to his desire, in the vault under,
the chapel of the Foundling-hospital, where an ample in-
sc^ription perpetuates his memory, as Hogarth's portrait
has preserved his honest countenance.
The Foundling Hospital, for several years after its in-
stitution, was an eminently popular object : numbers of
affluent persons were ardent to encourage it, and the bene-
factions to the hospital flowed in, in a very great abun-
dance. It was at length taken under the direction of pai*.*
liament, and, from 175^ to 1759, annusd and liberal grants
were made for its support ; in consequence of which chil-
difen wer^ poured in from every part of the kingdom. This
circumstance, after some time, excited a general alarm.
It was suggested, that the children, being cut off from all
intercourse with their fathers and mothers, would, when
^^^y grew up, be aliens in their native laud, without any
visible obligations^ and consequently without affections.
K 2 •
644 CORAM.
It was farther suggested, that they might look upon them*'
selves as a kind of independent beings in society; and
that, if they were permitted to increase as they had
lately done, no one could tell what harm might ensue tp
the s^te, when there were such numbers who could scarcely
be said to be connected with -the body politic. Nay, it
was asked, whether they might not, in time, rise like the
slaves of Rome, and throw the kingdom into confusion?
Sentiments of this nature were first thrown^outto the world
by a Mr. Massie, a political writer of that period. In a
pamphlet, entitled ^' A plan for the establishment of Cha-i*
rity-houses for exposed or deserted women and girls, and
for penitent prostitutes,^' and which was printed in 1758,
he introduced some observations concerning the Found-
ling Hospital, shewing the ill consequences of its receiving
public support. Afterwards, in 1759, be made a second
attack upon the Hospital, in a tract \vritten solely for that
purpose. In this tract, the good man's zeal upon the sub-
ject led him to several extravagancies and absurdities : but
his general principles, concerning the evil that might
arise from bringing up large multitudes of people who
were not bound to society by the common ties of private
and domestic affection, had a powerful influence on the
public mind. The indiscriminate admission of infatits into
the Hospital was put a stop to; parliamentary support was
withdrawn ; and the institution was left to be maintained,
as it now is very handsomely, by the generosity of indi-
viduals. '
CORAS (John de), in Latin Corasius, was born at
Toulouse, or rather at Realmont, 1513. He taught law at
Anger, Orleans, Paris, Padua, Ferrara, and Toulouse, with
universal applause, and was afterwards counsellor to the
psurliament of Toulouse, and chancellor of Navarre ; but,
turning protestant, was driven from Toulouse, 1562, and,
with difficulty, restored by the patronage of chancellor de
r Hospital, his friend. This return, however, proved un-
fortunate; for he was murdered in that city, 11173, after
the massacre of St. Bartholomew was known there. He
left only a daughter. Coras wrote some excellent works
in Latin and French, the principal of which were printed,
1556 and 1558, 2 vols. foL His << Miscellaneorum Juris
^ » . * Civilis libri tres/* is particularly valued. His life wa^^
^ ' » Biof. Brit,
I
CORAS. 24S
written by a descendant, James Coras, also a prote&tant,
and published in 1673, 4to. ^
CORBET (John), a nonconformist divine of c^Aside-
raUe note, the. son of a mechanic at Gloucester, was bom
in that city in 1620, and after being educated at a gram-
mar school there, became a batler of Magdalen hall, Ox-
ford, in 1636, and in 1639 was admitted bachelor of arts.
After taking orders, he preached at Gloucester, where he
resided during the siege, of which he published an ac-
count. He then removed to Chichester, and afterwards
became rector of- Bramsbot, in Hampshire, from which be
was ejected ii) 1662. He lived privately in London and
its neighbourhood until king Charles II.'s indulgence, when
a pare of his congregation invited him to Chichester, where
be preached among them, and had a conference with bishop
Gunning on the topics which occasioned his non-confor-
mity ; but Corbet was too clos.ely attached to the prin-
ciples which prevailed during the usurpation to yield in
any point to the discipline of the church. He died Dec.
26, 1680. Baxter, who "preached his foneral sermon, gives
a very high opinion of his learning, piety, and humility*
He wrote many practical tracts, otie of which, entitled
** Self-employment in secret,'* was some years ago re*
printed by the Rev. William Unwin, rector of Stock cum
Ramsden, in Essex. Corbet's most curious Work is bis
** Historical relation of the Military Government of Glou-
cester, from the beginning of the Civil War to the reoioval
of col. Massie to the command of the western forces," 1645,
4to. The state of religious parties is well illustrated in
another work entitled *^ The Interest of England in the
matter of Religion," 1661, 8vo. Corbet had also a con-
siderable share in compiling the first volume of Rashworth*s
" Historical Collections." *
CORBET (Richard), an English prelate, but better
known and perhaps more respected as a poet, was the son
of Vincent Corbet, and was born at Ewell in Surrey, in
1582. . His father, who attained the age of eighty, appears
to have been a man of excellent character, and is cele-
brated in one of his son's poems with filial ardoUr. For
some reason he assumed the name of Pointer, or, perhaps,
relinquished t!bat for Corbet, which seems more probable :
- his usual residence was at Whittou in the county of Mid««.
1 Moreri.— Diet. HisU ^ Calamy.— -Ath. Ox. ?©!. II4
«4« CORBET.
dlesex^ .where he waft noted for his skill in horticukur^i
and amassed considerable property in houses and land,
which ke bequeathed to ^is son at his death in 1619. Our
po^t was educated at Westminster school, and in Lent-*
t^rm^ 1597*89 entered in Broadgate hall (afterwards Pem-
broke college), and the year following was admitted a stu-
dent of Christ Church, Oxford, where he soon became
JM^ed- among men of wit and vivacity. In 1605 he took
his master's degree, and entered into holy orders. In
3612 he pronounced a funeral oration in St. Mary's church,
Oxford, on the death of Henry, prince of Wales; and the
following year, another on the interment of that eminent
benefactor to learning, sir Thomas Bodley. In 1618 he
took a journey to France, from which he wrote the epistle
to sir Thomas Aylesbury. His ** Journey to France," one
of his most humorous poems, is remarkable for giving some
traits of the French character that are visible in the present
day.r King James, who showed no weakness in the choice
of his literary favourites, made him one<yf his chaplains m
ordinary, and in 16^7 advanced him to the dignity of deatt
of Christ Church. At this time he was doctor iii divinity^
vicar of Cassington near Woodstock, in Oxfordshire, and
prebendary of Bedminster Secunda in the church of Sarum.
On the 30th of July, 1629, he was promoted to the see
id Oxford* and on the 7th of April 1632 was translated to
that of Norwich. He married, probably, before this time,
Alice, the daughter of Dr. Leonard Hutton, vicar of
flower, or Flore, in Northamptonshire, who had been hia
contemporary at the university, and with whom he appears
to have renewed his acquaintance during his Iter BorealeT
By this wife he had a son, named after his grandfather,
Vincent, to whom he addresses some lines of parental ad->
vice and good wishes. Of the rest of his life little can be
now recovered. He died July 28, 1635, and was buried
at the upper end of the choir of the cathedral church of
Norwich. Besides his son Vincent, he had a daughter
named Alice. They were both living in 1642, when their
grandmother, Anne Itutton, made her will, and the son ad*
ministered to it in 1648, but no memorial can be found of
their future history. It would appear that his wife died be-»
fore him, as in his will he conunitted his children to the
care of their grandmother. ^
His most accurate biographer, Mr. Gilchrist, to whom
this sketch is greatly indebted, has collected many parti«
CORBET. 247
«
ciilars illastrativft of his character, which are, upon the
whole^ favourable. Living in turbfalent timesi when the
church was assailed from every quarter, he con<Jucted him<*
self with great msderation towards the recus&nts, or puri-
tans ; and although he could not disobey, yet contrived to
soften by a gracious pleasaiitry of manner, the harsher
orders received from the metropolitan Laud. In his prin*
fHples he inclined to the Arminianism of Laud, in opposi-
tion to the Calvinism of his predecessor, archbishop Abbot;
and it is evident irom his poems, entertained a hearty con-
tempt fosr the puritaiKS, who, however, cq^ald not reproacb
him for persecution. As he published no theological work^
we are unable to judge of his talents in his proper profes-^
sion, but his munificence in matters which regarded the
church has been justly extolled. When St. Paul's cathe«
dnd stood in need of repairs, he not only contributed four
hundred pounds from his own purse, but dispersed an
epistle to the clergy of his diocese, soliciting their as«
sistance. This epistle, which Mr. Gilchrist haspublished^.
is highly characteristic of his propensity to humour, as
well as of the quaint «nd quibbling style of his age.
Wood has insinuated that he was unworthy to be made
a bishop, and it must be c^wned he often betrayed a care-
lessness and indifference t<i the dignity of his public cha«
racter. Of this we have abundant proof, if credit be due
to Aubrey?s MSS. in the Ashmolean museum, from which
Mr. Headley has made a curious extract.
Fuller says of him that he was ^^ of a courteous courage,
and no destructive nature to any who offended him, count*
ing himself plentifully repaired with a Jest upon him.''
His poems^ after passing through three editions, were
lately very carefully revised and published by Mr. Gilchrist^
¥rith the addition of an excellent life, notes, and illus*
trations. As a poet, it mil not be found that Corbet stands
eminently distinguished. His thoughts, however, are of-
ten striking and original, although delivered in the un-
couth language of his times, and seldom indebted to cor-
rectness of versification. His faults are in general those
of the age in which he wrote, and if he fills no conspicuous
place in poetical history, it ought not to be forgot that he
wrote for the ampsement of the moment, and made no
pretensions to the veneration of posterity. His principal
objects were gaiety and merriment at the expence of the
more glaring follies gL his day ^. of his serious efforts it
#
248 CORBET.
33aay be justly said that his feeling was without affectation^
and his panegyric without servility..^ .
CORBINELLI (James), a man of wit and learning of.
the sixteenth century, was born of an illustrious family i^
Florence. He went into France in the reign of Catherine
de Medicis ; and that queen, to whom he had the honour
of being allied, placed him with her son, the duke of An-
jou, as a man of learning, and a good counsellor. Cor-
binelli paid his court without servility, and was compared
to those ancient Romans who were full of integri^, .and
incapable of bareness. Chancellor de THdspital had a
high esteem for him. He was a professefl friend and pa-»
tron of tK^ learned, and frequently printed their works at
his own expence, adding notes to them, as he did to Fra.
Paolo del Rosso^s poem, entitled ^^ La Fisica,'' Paris, 1578^
8¥o ; and to Dante, ^^ JDe Vulgari £loquentia,^M577, 8vo.
Corbinelli was also a man of great courage and resolution,
address and intrigue. He wrote down every thing which
he heard, while Henry IV. was at the gates of Paris,: and
carried the paper to him openly, a^ if it had contained only
common affairs, or causes. His easy and confident ap-
pearance . deceived the guards who were placed at the
gates ; and, as he seemed to trust every body, no body
mistrusted him. Raphael Corbinelli, his son, was. secre-
tary to queen Mary de Medicis, and father of M. Corbi-
nelli, who died at Paris, June 19, 1716. This last was
one of the most distinguished beaux esprits of France ; and.
a man of strict honour and integrity, who was a welcome
guest in the best companies* A report prevailing that at
one of those social suppers which were given by the princes
and princesses, who were Mad. de Maintenon's enemies,
all the other party had been lampooned, it was thought
that some particulars might be known from Corbinelli, who
was present. M. d'Argenson, lieutenant of the .police,
accordingly visited the gouty epicurean, and asked him
*^. where be supped such a day ?" *' I think I do not re<«
member," replied Corbinelli, yawning. " Are you not
acquainted with such and such princes?" ^' I forget."
*f Have you not supped with them ?" ^' I remember nothing
of it." '^ But I think such a man as you ought to remember
things of this kind J' ^* Yes, sir; but in the presence of
^ Poems and Life as above. — Headley's Beauties. — ^Johason and Chalmers^i
English Poets,
C O R B I N E L L L 249
itncb a man as you, I am not such a man as myself/^ He
left " Les anciens Historiens Latins r6duits en Maximes,'*
with a preface, which was attributed to P. Bouhours, printed
1694, ]2mo; ^^'Hist. genealogique de la Maison de Gon-
di," Paris, 1705, 2 vols. 4 to, and other works. *
CORDARA (Julius Cjesar), a learned Italian Jesuit,
was bom in Alexandria de la Paglia in 1704. He was the
second son of the count of Calamandrana, descended from
an ancient and noble family, originally from Nice. He
was educated in the Jesuits' college at Rome, and in 1718
entered the society, where his progress in learning was so
rapid that in the twentieth year of his age he was employed
as a teacher in the college of Viterbo, and then gradually
preferred to those of Fermo and Ancona, and lastly to that
of Rome. Although regularly instituted in universal li-
terature, he evinced a peculiar predilection for oratoiry,
poetry, and history. At the age of twenty-three he first
appeared before the public in an elegant discourse on the
political and literary merit of the founder of the Bioman
college, pope Gregory XIII. which was soon followed by
an equally elegant Latin satire, *^ In fatuos numerorum
divinatores, vulgo Caballistas.^' This procured him ad-
mission into the academy of the Arcadia, by the name of
Panemo Cisseo, under which he afterwards published se«-
veral of his poetical works.
His talents for dramatic poetry became known when he
was thirty years of age, by an allegoric drama, entitled
" The death of Nice," in honour of the princess Clemen-
tina, queen of the titular James III. who died in 1735. By
this he highly ingratiated himself with the abdicated royal
family established at Rome, and his production was also
much admired by the public, and went through several
editions. In his riper years, however, he distinguished
himself by performances of higher importance, particularly
in 1737, by his excellent satires on the literary spirit of
the age published under the name of L. Sectanus, ^^ L«
Sectani Q,. Fil. de tota Grseculorum hujus aetatis littera-
tura." The object of this was to satirize a class of half*
learned men in Italy and in other countries, who, with an
insolent and dogmatic spirit, and with the most assuming
and disgusting manners, thought themselves authorized to
ppndemn the existing literary institutions, the classificatioa
I B^ct^de L'Avocat.i— Diet. Hist. — ^Moreri. — Gen, Diet*
350 C O R D A R A.
of sciencesi the methods of teaching, and even the prin-
ciples of taste. This work went rapidly through seven
editions.
In 1742, the place being vacant, the abb6 Coirdara was
appointed historiographer of his order; and in 1750 pub-
lished, in elegant Latin, 2 vols. fol. ^* Historia Societatis
Jesu, Pars VI. complectens res gestas sub Mutio Vitel-
lesco.'* Two years after, this was followed by another
work of less bulk, but perhaps more curious, entitled
** CJaroli Odoardi Stuartii, Walliae principis, expeditio in
Scotiam, Libris IV. comprehensa." This was thought by
his friends to be his master-piece, but as it has not been,
as far as we know, imported into England, we can give no
opinion as to its merits. In 1770 Cordara published '^The
History of the Germanic and Hungarian College at Rome,**
a work which, though local, may contribute to the gene-
ral mass of literary history. On the dissolution of the order
of the Jesuits, some of whom were imprisoned and other-
wise harshly treated, he retired in 1772 from Rome to
Turin, and notwithstanding his advanced age and change
of life, resumed his juvenile pursuits in poetry and belles
lettres. He composed a drama, " The Deliverance of Be-
tulia;'* a burlesque poem, "The Foundation of Nice,'*
accounted one the best of the kind ; his ** Essay on Mili-
tary Eclogues," and in 1783, an eulogy on Metastasio,
none of which betrayed any decay in his powers. To-
wards the close of his life he resided at Alexandria, his
native place, in a secular/ college, where he died in 1790.
His eloge was written by his countryman, the marquis
Charles Guasco. *
CORDEMOI (Gerard de), a French historian, was
born at Paris, of a nobie family,' originally of Auvergne,
and having studied law, was admitted to the bar, which he
quitted for the philosophy of Descartes. Bossuet, who
was no less an admirer of that philosopher, procured him
the appointment of reader to the dauphin, which office he
filled with success and zeal, and died the 8th of October
1684, member of the French academy, at an advanced age.
We are indebted to his pen for, 1. " The general History of
France during the two first races of its kings," 1 685, 2 vols,
fol. a work which the French critics do not appreciate so
justly as it deserves. 2. Divers tracts in metaphysics, hls-
1 AtbenseuiDi vol. IV.
C O R D £ M O I. SSI
toiy, politicd, and moral philosophy, reprinted in 1704^ 4toy
under the title of '* CEuvres de feu M. de Cordemoi.*'
They contain useful investigations, judicious thoughts^
and sensible reflections on the method of writing history.
He had adopted in pbilosoph}^ as we before observed, the
sentiments of Descartes, but without servility ; he even
sometimes differs from them. In the latter part of his life^
he was assisted in his literary labours by his son Lewis, who
was born in 1651, and who became successively a licentiate
of Sorbonne, and an abbot in the diocese of Clermont*
He was a voluminous writer, chiefly on theological sub-
jects ; and was considered among the catholics as an able
advocate of their cause against the attacks of the defenden
of protestantism. He was, however, of considerable ser-*
vice to his father in the latter part of his *^ General History
of France ;" and, it is believed, wrote the whole of that
part which extends from about the conclusion of the reign
of Lewis V. to the end of the work. By order of Lewis
XIV. he continued that history from the time of Hugh
Capet until the year 1660, which be did not live to finish*
He died at the age of seventy-one, in the year 1722. ^
CORDERIUS. See CORDIER.
CORDES, or CORDERUS (Balthasak), a learned edi-
tor, was born at Antwerp in 1592, belonged to the society
of Jesuits in the Low Countries, and was doctor of theo-
logy at Vienna, where he attained a considerable share of
celebrity, as professor of that faculty. He was a man of
great learning, particularly in Greek literature. He died
at Rome June 24, 1650. His principal works, as editor
and author, were " S. Dionysii Areopagitae Opera omnia,
Gr. et Lat. cum Scholiis, &c.'* 1634, in 2 torn. fol. ; " Ex-
positiones Patrum GraBcorum in Psaimos,'' 1643, in 3 torn,
fol. ; '*S. Cyrilli Homiliae in Jeremiam,'' 1648, 8vo, &c. &c.*
CORDES, or CORDERIUS (John), was born at Li-
moges in 1570, and at an early age discovered a consi-
derable turn for literary pursuits,- but the death of bis
father restricted him to trade until he was about thirty years
of age, when a change of circumstances enabled him to
indulge his original propensity. He entered into the so-^
ciety of Jesuits at Avignon ; but a series of ill health
obliged him to quit their seminary, and to pursue his
studies privately. He afterwards became a canon] of his
< Moreri« Diet. Hist. ! FoppenBibl. Belg.^Sftxii Onftmut.
2S.2 C O R D E S.
native place, and a collector of rare and valuable books*
He was himself an author and editor of considerable repu-
tation; and after his death, which happened in 1642, his
library was purchased by cardinal Mazarine. He was
editor of. the works of Hincmar, archbishop of Rheinas ;
and of the works of George Cassander. He translated
father Paul's " History of the Diflferences between Pope
Paul V. and the republic of Venice ;'' and likewise Ca-
millo Portions '^ History of the Troubles in the kingdom of
Naples, under Ferdinand 1."* %
CORDIER (Mathurin), in Latin Corderius, lived in
the sixteenth century, and was an eminent teacher. He
' understood the Latin tongue critically, was a man of vir-
tue, and performed his functions with the utmost diligence,
mixing moral with literary instruction. He spent his long
life in teaching children at Paris, Nevers, Bordeaux,. Ge-
neva, Neiifchastel, Lausanne, and lastly again at Geneva,
'whete he died Septenaber the 8th, 1564, at the age of
eighty-five, having continued his labours until three or
four days before his death. He studied divinity for some
time at Paris in the college of Navarre, about the year 1528^
after he had taught a form in the same college ; but he left
off that study in order to apply himself to his former func-
tions of a grammarian. He had taught at Nevers in 153,4»
1535, and 1536. Calvin, who had been bis scholar at
Paris in the college de la Marche, dedicated his Commen-
tary on the 1st Epistle to the Thessalonians to him. It is
not exactly.known of what province Mathurin^Cordier wa^ ;
some say' he was born in Normatidy; others pretend he
was born in the earldom of Perche. He published several
books for the. use of schools, among which were, 1. '' £pis-
tres Chrestiennes," Lyons, 1557, 16to. 2. "Sentences
extraictes de la Saincte Escriture pour Tinstruction des
Enfans," Latin and Fren^ch, 1551. 3. " Cantiques spiri-
tuels en nombre26," 1560. 4. " Le Miroir de la Jeunesse,
pour la former a bonnes moeurs, et civility de la vie,^' Paris,
^ 16to. '5. '^ L' Interpretation et^ construction en Frang^s
des distiques Latins, qu'on attribue a Caton,'' Lyons, 8vo,
V and since, perhaps, above an hundred times. His ** Col-
loquia^' have long been used in schools, and have been
printed, says Bayle, a thousand tim^s. *
» Chaufepie,— Morcti. » Gen. Diet-— Morerk
COR D U S. 253
CORDUS (EuRicics), called by Melchior Adam,
Henry Urban, a physician and poet, was a native of Sim-
ikiershuys in Hesse. To assist himself in the prosecution of
his stodies, he undertook the business of private tutor, and
while thus employed, had the good fortune to attract the
notice of Erasmus, but bis openness of character is said to
bave procured him enemies among men of less liberal
minds/ In 1521 he went to Italy, where he attached him-
self in a particular manner to the study of botany ; collect-
ing and examining a number of rare plants, and diligently
comparing them with the descriptions of them left by
Dioscorides. At Ferrara he took the degree of doctor in
medicine, which he afterwards taught at £rf urt and Mar*
purg. In 1535 he went to Bremen, where he remained
until his death, in 1538. He was author of several, and
some very valuable, works. His <^ Treatisk on the English
Sweating Sickness" was published at Fribourg, in 1529,
4to ; and in 1532, he gave a Latin version of the Theriaca,
and Alexipharmica of Nicander. His ^* Botanologicoi^,
sive Colloquium de Herbis," was printed at Colonna, in
1534, and is commended, by Haller, and was several times
Tieprinted ; and his ^^De Abusu UroscopiaD," in 1546, at
Francfort. His Latin poems were published in the ^^ De-
licisB Poet Germ." * -
CORDUS (Valerius), son of the preceding, and worthy
of his father, was born in Hesse-Cassel iti 1515, and ap-
plied himself with equal success to the study of languages
and of plants. He traversied all the mountains of Ger-*
many, for the purpose of gstthering simples. He then went
into various parts of Italy ; but died of a wound in the leg
by a kick from a horse, in 1544, at the age of 29. The
following distich was inscrib€d on his tomb :
" Ing«ttio superest Corc[us> mens ipsa recepta est
CcbIo 5 quod t^nra est, maxinto Roma tenet.'* '
The works with which he enriched the knowledge of bo-
tany, are : 1. **Remarkaon Dioscorides," Zurich, 1561,
fiAio. 2. " Historia stirpium, libri v." Strasburg, 1561
.and 1563, 2 vols, folio, a posthumous work. 3, *** Disperi-
satorium pharmacorum otnnfum," Leyden, 1627, 12mo.
Tlic piirity of his morals, the politeness of his manners,
s^nd the extent of his knowledge^ conciliated the esteem
and the praises of all lovers of real m^rit. ^
) Moreri.-'Haner BlbL Bot. « Ibid.
954 C O R E L L L
CORELLI (Arcangelo), a fiimous musician of Italy,
was born at Fusignano, a town of Bologna, in 1653. His
first instructor in music was Simonelliy a singer in the
pope^s chapel ; but his genius leading him to prefer seQU«-
lar to ecclesiastical music, he afterwards became a disciple
of Bassani, who excelled in that species of composition, in
which Corelli always delighted, aiid made it the business
of his life to cultivate. It is presumed that he was taught
the organ : but his chief propensity was for the violin, on
whi,ch he made so great proficiency, that some did not
scruple to pronounce him the first performer on that in«»
strument in the world. About 1672 his curiosity led him
to visit Paris : and it is said that the jealous temper of
I^Uy not brooking so formidable a rival, be soon returned
to Rome ; but this Dr. Burney thinks is without founda-^
tion. In 1680 be visited Germany, was received by the
princes there suitably to his merit ; and, after about fiv6
years stay abroad, returned and settled at Rome.
While thus intent' upon musical pursuits at Rome, lie
fell under the patronage of cardinal Ottoboni ; and is said
to have regulated the musical academy held at the caitii-^
BaPs palace every Monday afternoon. Here it was that
Handel became acquainted with him ; and in this academy
a serenata of Handel, entitled ^^ II ttionfo del tempo,"
was performed : the overture to which was in a style so
new and singular, that Corelli was much perplexed in his
first attempt to play it. This serenata, translated into Eng^
lish, and called ^^ The Triumph of Time and Truth,'' was
performed at London in 1751. ^ The merits of Corelli as
a performer were sufficient to attract the patronage of the
great, and to silence, as they did, all competition ; but the
remembrance of these was soon absorbed in the contempla-
tion of his excellencies as a general musician, as the author
of new and original harmonies, and the father of a style
not less noble and grand than elegant and 'pathetic* He
died at Rome Jan. 18, 1713, aged almost 60; land waa
buried in the church of the Rotunda, otherwise called the
Pantheon ; where, for many years after his decease, he
was commemorated by a solemn musical performance on
the anniversary of that event. He died possessed of about
€000/. which, with a large and valuable collection of pic«
tures, of which he was passionately fpnd, he bequeathed
to his friend and patron cardinal Ottoboni ; who, however^
C OR E L L I iiS5
while be reserved the pictures to. himself, distributed 4he
money among the relations of the testator, an act of jus-
tice, in which it may, without breach of charity, be thought
that Corelli ought to have anticipated him.
Corelli is said to have been remarkable for the mildness
of his temper, and the modesty of his deportment; yet to
have bad a quick sense of the respect due to bis skill and
exquisite performance. Gibber relates, that, once wh^i
Corelli was playing a solo at cardinal Ottoboni's, he dis-
covered the cardinal and another person engaged in dis-
course, upon which he laid down his instrument ; and, bet-
ing asked the reason, gave for answer, that he feared the
music might interrupt conversation.
The performance and compositions of this admirable
musician, says Dr. Burney, form an sera in instrumental
music, particularly for the violin, and its kindred instru«
ments, the tenor and violoncello, which he made respect-
able, and fixed their use and reputation, in all probability,
as long as the present system of music shall continue to de-
light the ears of mankind. Indeed, this most excellent
master had the happiness of enjoying part of his fame
during mortality ', for scarce a contemporary musical wri-
ter, historian, or poet, neglected to celebrate his genius and
talents; and his productions have contributed longer to*
charm the lov^s of music by the mere powers of the bow,
without the assistance of the human voice, than those of
any composer that has yet existed. Haydn, indeed, with
more varied abilities, and a much more creative genius,
when instruments of all kinds are better understood, has
captivated the musical world in perhaps a still higher de-
gree ; but whether the duration of his favour will be equal
to that of Corelli, who reigned supreme in all concerts,
aild excited undiminished rapture full half a century, must
be left to the determination of time, and the encreased
rage of depraved appetites for novelty.
The concluding remarks of the same learned critic are
too ingenious to be omitted. There was, he observes,
little or no melody in instrumental music before Corelli's
time. And though he has much more grace and elegance
in his cantilena than his predecessors, and slow and solemn
movements abound in his works; yet true pathetic and
impassioned melody and modulation seem wanting in them
all. He appears to have been gifted with no uncommon
256 C O R E L L t
po#ers of execution ; yet, with all his purity and sim*
piicity, he condescended to aim at difficulty, and manifestly
did all he could in rapidity, of (inger and bow, in the long
itumeaning allegros of his first, third, and sixth solos ;
where, for two whole pages together, common chords are
broken into common divisions, all of one kind and colour,
which nothing but the playing with great velocity and neat-
ness could ever render tolerable. .But like some characters
and indecorpus scenes in our best old plays,.* these have
been long omitted in performance. Indeed his ktiowledge
of the power of tBe bow, in varying the expression of the
same notes, was very much limited. Veracini and Tartint
greatly extended these powers ; and we well remember
our pleasure and astonishment in hearing Giardini, in a
solo that he performed at the oratorio, 1769, play an air
at the end of it W4th variations, in which, by repeating each
strain with different bowing, without changing a single note
in the melody, he gave it all the effect and novelty of a
new variation of the passages.
However, if we recollect that some of Corelli's works
are now more than a hundred years old, we shall wonder
at their grace and elegance ; which can only be accounted
for on the principle of ease and simplicity. Purcell, who
composed for ignorant and clumsy performers, was obliged
to write down all the fashionable graces and embellish-
ments of the times, on which account his music soon became
obsolete and old-fashioned; whereas the plainness a^d
simplicity of Corelli have given longevity to his works,
which can always be modernised' by a judicious performer,
' with very few changes or embellishments. And, indeed,
Corelli's productions continued longei' in unfading favour
in England than in his own country, or in any other part of
Europe; and have since only given way to the more fanci-
ful compositions of the two Martini^s, Zanesti, Campioni,
Giardini, Bach, Abel, Schwindl, Boccherini, Stamitz^
Huydn, Mozart, and Pleyel.^
CORENZIO (Belisarius), an artist, was bom about
1558 in Greece, and after studying five years under Tin^
toretto, about 1590, fixed himself at Naples. He bad
received from nature a fertility of ideas and a celerity of
hand, which made him perhaps equal to his master in the
1 HawkiDs and Buroey*s Histories of Music ^— and Uie latter in Rees's Cydo*
pKdia, art CortlH^
C O R E N Z I O. 257
■
dispatch of works as numerous as complicated; be alone-
performed the task of four industrious painters* When he
chose to bridle his enthusiasm^ he may be compared with
Tintoretto ; he is inf^ior to few in desigti, and has inven-
tions, motions, airs of heads, which the Venetians them-
selves, though they were perpetually before their eyes,
could never equal. His powers of imitation he proved by
the large picture of the " Crowd miraculously fed," painted
in forty days ^or the refectory of the Benedictines. In
general bis method resembles that of Cesare d^ Arpino, and
when 'be conforms to the Venetian manner,^ he still pre-
serves a character of his own, especially in his glories,
which he hems in with showery clouds and. darkness. He
painted little in oil, though possessed of great energy and
union of colour.' The rage of gain carried him to large
works in fresco, which he arranged with much felicity of
the whole ; copious, various, resolute, and even finished in
the parts, and correct, if roused by the concurrence of §ome
able rival Such he was at the Certosa in the cliapel of
St. Gennaro, when he had Caracciolo for his competitor.
For other churches be sometimes painted sacred subjects
in small proportions, much commended by Dominici.
This artist died in 1 643. '
GORILLA (Maria Maddelana Fernandez), a late
celebrated improvisatrice, was born at Pistoia in 1740, and
gave, in her infancy, the most unequivocal marks of un-
common genius; and her acquirements in natural and
moral philosophy, and ancient and modern history, were
at the age of seventeen very remarkable. At the age of
twenty she began to display that talent for extempore com-
position which is so common in Italy, and so uncommon
elsewhere as to be questioned. Of this lady's abilities,
however, we are not permitted to doubt, if we give' any
credit to the popularity she gained among all classes, and
especially among persons of the highest rank. The em«*
press Mafia Theresa offered her the place of female poet
i laureat at court, which sh^ accepted, and went to Vienna
k in 1765. ' Previously to this she bad married signer Mo-
relli, a gentleman of Leghorn ; but her conduct after mar-
riage became grossly licentious, a circumstance which
does not appear to have diminished the respect paid to her
I . ' • ■
I 1 Pilkiugton.
VOL.%. S \
i
258 GORILLA.
hj mil ranks. At Viefma, she ivrote aa ef^io pOem and a
▼olume of lyric poetry, both which she dedioatbd to the
^pr^Bs. She attracted the enthusiastic admiration o£ Me-
tastatic himself, and rendered the taste for Italian poetry
more predomiaant than it bad ever been in Vienna. Soon
after 1771» she settled in Romey wa» admitted a member
of the academy of the Arcadi, under the name of Gorilla
Oiympica^ and for some years continued to charm the in*
liabitants of Rome by her talents in improvisation. At
length when Pius VI. became pope, he determined that
»he should be solemnlv crowned, aa honour which had
been granted to Petrarch only. An account of this siiigu^
l»r transaction, beautifully printed at Parma, by Bodoai^
m 1779, contains her diploma and ail the . diiscourses^
poems, sonnets, &c. written on the occasion, with the en^
lamination which she underwent^ concerning her knowledge
of the most important subjects upofti which she was required
to Improvisarcy or treat extemporaneously, in verse pub«
Kcly at the Gamptd^Ho in Rome. The ItaUan title of this
narrative is, ^' Atti delta solenfte cofonazione fatta in Cam*
pidoglio della insigne poete&ia D«na. Maria Maddalena
Mordli Fernandez Pistoiese, Tragli Arcadi Gorilla 01im<i-
pica.^' Twelve members of the Arcadian academy were
fielected but of thirty, publicly to examine this aew edition
of a Tenih Muse, which has been so often dedicated to
ladies of poetical and literary talents. Three several days
were allotted for this public exhibition of poeticed powers
on the following subjects : sacred history, revealed reKgiony
moral philosophy, niatural history, metaphysics, epic poetry,
legislation, eloquence, mythology, fine arts, and pastoral
poetry.
In the list of examiners there appear e prince, an arcb*
bishop, three monsi^gheurs, the pope's physician, abati,
avocati, all of high rank in literature and criticism. These,
^eeverally, gave her subjects, which, besides a readine» at
mecsificatiou in all the measures of Italian poetry, requked
.science, reading, and knowledge of every kind* In all
^ese severe trials, Ae aequitted herself to the satisfectioh
and astonishment of all the principal persoiuges^ clergy>
literati, and foreigners then resident at Ronoe; among the
latter was our. sovereign's brother, the duke of Gloucesle^.
Near fif^ sonnets by different poets, with odes, canzoni,
terze nmOf ottave, canzonette> &c. produced on the sub«
]
GORILLA. S59
ject of ihU event, are inserted at the end of this narrative
and descviption of the order and ceremonials of this splen-
did, honourable, andentbasiastic homage, paid to poetry,
classical taste, fe^ents, ^literature, and 'the fine arts.
Thisirenowned lady merits some notice as a musician, as
vfell as poetesa ; as she auag'ber own verses to simple tunes
with a sweet voice, and in. good taste. She likewise played
ondie violiu'; batK«t Florence, in 1770, she was accom-
panied on the violin by the celebrated and worthy papil of
QTartiniy Navdini.
ToiVards the close of 1780 she left ^Rome, fi^ith the in*
temion of passing the remainder of .her life at Florence^
aor did jhe practise her art much longer, aware that youth
and beauty ;had added charms to her perfonnance which
9be no longer 'possessed. She died at Florence Nov. 8,
rWOO.*
iCORlNiNA, a Grecian lady, celebrated for her beauty
and poetic) talents, was bom at Thessu a city in <B{£fotia,
land was the cUficiple of Myrtis, another'Greeian lady. Her
'vecses were-soesteemed^bjf the Greeks that they gave her
'the name of the Lyric Muse. She lived in the time of
'Bindary abouti49'5 yearstbeforeChrist, and is said to have
igained the prize of lyric poetry five timesfrom that poet :
but Pausanias observes ^at ber beauty made the judges
partial* ^Corinna wrote a great deal of poetry, but no
more have 'Oome down to us than some 'fragments which
may be seen in Fabrioins's -^^ Bibliotheca Greeca.'^*
CORIO (Bernardine), born in 1460, of an illustrious
famtly of Milan, was selected by du^ke Lewis Sforza, sur-
named Maurus, for composing the history of his country-;
but the French having got possession of the Milanese, and
.the duke his patron being taken prisoner, he died of grief
in .1500. The best edition of his history, << Storia di Mi-
lano," is that of Milan in 1^0'i, in folio. It is'finely printed^
aearce, and much more valued than* those since published,
which have been disfigured by mutilations. Some estima^
;tion, however, is attached tothose of Venice, 1554, 1565,
.4to ; and that of Paris, 1 646, 4to. Although he writes in
a harsh and incorrect style, he is accurate in ascertaining
dates, and minute in relating those circumstances that in-
terest the attention. His nephew Charies Corio employed
' Athensum, vol. IV. — Rees's Cyclopaedia.
' Fabr. Bibl, Graec— Yossius de Poet. Grsec.
S 2
260 COB I O.
himself on the same object, and wrote in Italian, a ** Por«
trait of the city of Milan,'* in which are collected the mo-
numents, ancient and modern, of that unfortunate city.^
CORNARIUS, or HAGUENBOT (John), a celebrated
German physician, was born at Zwickaw in Saxony in 1500.
His preceptor made him change his name of Haguenbot,
or Haubut, to that of Cornarius, but such changes were
frequently voluntary. In his twentieth year, he taught
grammar and explained tbei Greek and Latin poets and
orators to his scholars, and two years after was admitted
licentiate in medicine. He found fault with most of. the
remedies provided by the apothecaries; and observing^
that the greatest part of the physicians taught their pupiU
only what is to be found in Avicenna, Basis, and the other
Arabian physicians, he carefully. sought for the writings of
the best physicians of Greece, and employed about fifteen
years in translating them into Latin, especially the works
of Hippocrates, Aetius, Eginetes, and a part; of those of
Galen. Meanwhile he practised physic with reputation at^
Zwickaw, Francfort, Marpurg, Nordhausen, auid Jena, where
be died of an apoplexy, March 16, 1538. He also wrote
some medical treatises ; published editions of some poems
of the ancients on medicine and botany; and translated
some of the works of the fatbam,. particularly those of Basil,
and a part of those of Epiphanius* • His translations are now
little consulted, but they undoubtedly contributed to lessen
the difficulties of his successors in the same branch of use^
f ul labour. "
CORNARO (Lewis.)) a Venetian of noble extraction, is
memorable for having lived to an extreme age : for he
was ninety-eight years old at the time of his death, which
happened at Padua April 26, 1566, his birth being fixed
• at 1467. Amongst other little performances, he left be«-
hind him a piece, entitled ^^ De vitse sobrise commodis,''
i» e. ^^ Of the advantages of a •temperate lifef of which
an. account was given in the preceding editions of this Dic-
tionary, and which, as amusing and instructive, we shall
]K)t disturb, although ivbdongs rather to the medical than
biographical department.
He wa3 moved, it seems, to compose this little piece, at
the request and for the benefit of some ingenious young
men, for whom he had a regard ; who, having long since
1 Moreri. — Hayin Bibl. Italiana.
^ Ha)ler.-*Moreri, and Diet Hist, in Ha|^aenbot
C O R N A R O. 261
lost their parents, and seeing him then eighty*one years'
old, in a florid 6tate of health, wefe desirous to know by'
what means he contrived thus to preserve a sound mind in
a sound body, to so e:streme an age. In answer, he tells
them, that, when he was young, he was very intemperate ;•
that this intemperance had brought upon him many - and
grievous disorders ; that from the thirty-fifth to the fortieth,
year of his age, he spent his nights and days in the utmost^
anxiety and pain ; and that, in shorty bis life was grown a'
burthen to ' him. The physicians, however, as he relates^*
notwithstanding all the vain andfruitless efforts which they
had made to restore him^ told him, that there was ..one
medicine still remaining, which had never been tried, but
which, if he could but prevail with himself to use with per--
severance^ might free him in time from all his complaints ;
namely, a regular and temperate way of living, but that
unless he resolved to apply instantly to it, his case would
soon become desperate. Upon this he immediately pre*-,
pared himself for his new regimen, and now began to eat
and drink nothing but what was proper for one in his weak
habit of body. But this at first was very disagreeable to'
him : he wanted to live again in his old manner; and he
did indulge himself in a freedom of diet sometimes, with-
out the knowledge of his physicians indeed, although much
to his own uneasiness and detriment Driven in the mean
time by necessity, and exerting resolutely all the powers
of his understanding, h^ grew at last confirmed in a settled
and uninterrupted course of temperance : by virtue of
which, all his disorders bad left him in less than a year,
and he had been a 6rm and healthy man from that time to
his giving this account.
To shew what a security a life of temperance is against
the ill effects of hurts and disasters, •he relates an accident
which befel him, when he was very old. One day being
overturned iaiiis chariot, he was dragged by the horses a
considerable way upon the ground. His head, his arms,
bis whole body were very much bruised ; and one of his
ancles was put out of joint. He* was carried home ; and
the physicians seeing how much he was injured, concluded
it impossible that he should live three days, but by bleed-
ing and evacuating medicines, be presently recovered his
health and strength.
Some sensualists, as it appears, bad objected to his
manner of living ; and in order to evince thq reasonable^
S62 C O Bf N A R a
ness of their own, had* urged, that it was not worth while
to mortify one^s appetites at such a rate, for the sake of
being old ; since all that was jife, after the age of sizty-fivey
could not properly be called vUa vvoa^ sed vita ntor^ia i not
a living life, but a dead life. ^^ Now,!' says he, "*< to shew
these gentlemen how much they are mistaken, I will briefly
Ttin over the satisfactions and pleasures which I myself
now enjoy m this eighty-third year of my age. In the
first place I am always well ; and so active withal, that I
can with ease mount a horse upon a flat, and walk to the<
tops of very high mountains. In the next place I am aU
ways cheerful, pleasant, perfectly contented, and free from
all perturbation, and every uneasy thought. I have none
of th9,t fasiidium vititj that satiety of life, so often to be
met with in persons of my age. I frequently converse with
men of parts and learning, and spend much of my time ia
reading and^ writing. These things I do, ju&t as opportu-
nity serves, or my humour invites me ; and all in my own
house here at Padua, which, I may say, is as commodious
and elegant a seat, as any perhaps that this age can shew ;
built by me according to the exact proportions of architec-
ture, and so contrived as to be an equal shelter against
beat and cold« I enjoy at proper intervals my gardens, of
which I have many, whose borders are refreshed with
streams of running water. I spend some months in the
year at those Eugancan hills, wheee I have another com-
modious houses with gardens and fountains : and I visit also
a seat I have in the valley, which abounds in beauties^
iirom the mair^r ^ructures, woods,, and vivulets that encom-
pass it I frequently make excursions to some of the
neighbouring cities, for the sake of seeing my friends, and
conversing with the adepts in all arts and sciences : archi-
tects, painters, statuaries, musidans, and even husband-
men. I contempllite their works, compare them with the
ancients, and tnk always learning something, which it ia
agreeable to kpow. I take a view of palaces, gardens, an-
tiquities, public buildings, temples, fortifications : and no-
thing escapes me, which can afibrd tbe least amusement to
a rational mind. Nor are these pleasures at all blunted by
the usual imperfections of great age : for I enjoy all my
senses in perfect vigour ; my taste so very much, that I
have a better relish for the plainest food now, than I had
for the choicest delicacies, when formerly immersed in a
life of luxury. Nay, to let you see what a portion of fire
<^ O B N A R a 26%
and spirit I have stiU left within m/e, know, that I huve
ihis Y^ry year written a comedy, full of innocent mirth an4
pleasaptry; and, if a Greek poet waa thought so very
healthy and happys for writing a tragedy at the age of 73^
why should oot I he. thqi^ght as healthy and as happy, whq
have written a comedy, when I am ten years older ? In
short, that ao pleasure whatever may be wanting to my old
age, I please myself daily with contemplating that immor-i
tality, which I tbinii I see in the succession of my posterity.
For every time I return homey I meet eleven grandchiU
dren, all the offspring of one father and mother ; all in
fine health ; all» as far as I can discern, apt to learn, and
of good behaviour. I am often amused by their singing ;
nay, I often sing with them, because my voice is louder
and clearer now, than ever it was in my life before. These
are the delights and comforts of my old age ; from which,
I presume, it appears, that the life I spend is not a deadji
morose, and melancholy life, but a living, active, pleasant
life, wbiqh I would not change with the robustest of those
youths who indulge and riot in all the luxury of the senses^
because I know them to be exposed to a thousand diseases,
and a thousand kinds of deaths. I, on the contrary, am
free from all such apprehensions : from the apprehension
of disease, because I have nothing for disease to feed upon ;
firom the apprehension qf death, because I have spent a
life of reason. Besides, death, I am persuaded, is not yet
near me. I koovy that (barring accidents) no violent disease
can tquch me. I must he dissolved by a gentle find gra«
duai decay, when the radical humour is consumed like oil
in a lamp, which affords no longer life to the dying taper.
But such a death as this cannot happen of a sudden. To
become unable to walk and. reason, to become blind, deaf,
and h^nt to the earth, from all which evils I am far enough
at present, must take a considerable pprtion of time : and
I verily believe, that this immortal soul, which still inha-
bits my body with so mqch harmony and complacency,
will uQt easily depart from it yet. I verily believe that I
have many years to Jive, many years to epjoy the world
and all the good that is in it ; by virtue of that strict so-
briety and temperance, which I have so long and so reli-
giously observed ; friend as I am to reason, but a foe to
sense." His wife, who survived him, lived also to nearly
the same age. Sir John Sinclair,, in his ^^ Code of Health
and Longevity," mentions the edition of 1779 as the best
264 C O R N A R O:
English translation of Cornaro^s works. There are four
discourses on one subject, penned at dififerent times ; the
first) already mentioned, which he wrote at the age of
eighty •three, in which he declares war against every kind
of intemperance. The second was composed three years
after, and contains directions for repairing a bad constitu-
tion. The third he wrote when he was ninety-one, entitled
*^ An earnest exhortation to a sober life ;*' and the last is a
letter to Barbaro, patriarch of Aquileia, written when he
was ninety-five, which contains a lively description of the
health, vigour, and perfect use of all his faculties, which
he had the happiness of enjoying at that advanced period
of life.'
CORNARO PISCOPIA (Helena Lucretia), a learned
Venetian lady, born in 1646, was the daughter of Gio
Baptista Cornaro, and educated in a very different manner
from the generality of her sex, being taught languages
and sciences, and all the philosophy of the schools. • After
having studied many years, she took her degrees at Padua,
and was perhaps the first lady that ever was made a^doctor.
She was also admitted of the university of Rome, where
she had the title of Humble given her, as she had at Padua
that of Unalterable, titles which she is said to have deserved,
because her learning had not inspired her with vanity,
nor was any thine capable of disturbing her train of
thought. With all this, however, she vvas not free from
the weaknesses of her religion, and the age in whiohshe
lived. She early made a vow of perpetual virginity ; and
though all means were used to persuade her to marry, and
even a dispensation with her vow obtained from the pope,
yet she remained immoveable. It is affirmed, that not
believing the perpetual study to which she devoted herself,
and which shortened her days, sufficient to mortify the
flesh, she addicted herself to other superstitious restraints,
fasted often, and spent her whole time either in study or
devotion, except those fewt hours when she was obliged to
receive visits. All people ^of quality and fashion, who
passed through Venice, were more solicitous to see her,
than any of the curiosities of that superb city. The cardi*
nals de Bouillon and D^£tr6es, in passing through Italy,
were commanded by the king of France, to examine whe-
ther what some said of her was true ; and their report wasi
1 Tliaani Hist-^His treatise on Long Life, often republished in English.
C O R N A R O. 26S
that her parts and learning were equal to het high re)»iita-
don. At length her incessant study of books, ' particularly
such as were in Greek and Hebrew, impaired her consti^i
tution so much, that she fell into an illness, of. which she
died in 1685. We are told that she had notice of her
death a year before it happened, and that, talking one
day to her father of an old cypress-tree in his garden, she
advised him to cut it down', since it would do well to make
her a coffin.
As soon as the news of her death reached Rome, the
academicians called Infecondi, who had formerly admitted
her of their society, composed odes and epitaphs to her
memory without number, and celebrated a funeral solem-
nity in honour of her, in the college of the Barnabite
fathers, where the academy of the Infecondi usually assem*
bled. This solemnity was conducted with such magnifi*-
cence, that a description of it was published at Padua in
1686, and dedicated to the republic of Venice. ^Part of
the ceremony was a funeral oration, in which one of the
academicians with all the pomp of Italian eloquence, ex«
patiated upon the great and valuable qualities of the de-
ceased ; saying, that Helena Lucretia Comaro had tri-
umphed over three monsters, who were at perpetual war
with her se^, viz. luxury, pride, and ignorance ; and that
in tbis she was superior to all the oonquerori of antiquity,
even to Pompey himself, though he triumphed at the same
time over the three kings, Mithridates, Tigranes, and Aris-
tobulus, because it was easier to conquer three kingdonlis^
than three such imperfections and vices, &c. In 1688 her
works were publi^ed at Parma, 8vo, edited by Benedict
Baccbini, with an ample life, but the praises he bestows
on her are but feebly supported by these writings. '
CORNAZZANO (Antonio), an Italian poet, was bom
at Placentia, and flourished in the fifteenth century, bat
we have no dates of his birth or death, tie passed some
part of his life at Milan, and afterwards travelled into
France ; and on his return he went to Ferrara, where he
remained until his death, patronized by the duke Hercules
I. who had a high regard for him. Some of his biographers
inform us that he served under the celebrated Venetian
general, Bartholomew Coglioni, of whom he has left a life,
\n Latin^ published by Burman. He left also a great many
* Life as above.— Moreri.'— Diet. Hist.
S6« C 4) R N A Z Z A N O.
oiher wQrbSy tbe most considerable of irfiich is an Italiaia
ppeni^ in nine books,^ on tbe military art, with the LaUQ
title of " De Re Militari,*' Venice, 1493, foL ; Peaaro,
1^07, 9voy &G. He has libewise given Latin titles to h%9
tbreQ small. poems» on the art of gOTcming, the rici^itndea
of fortune, and on the ablest generals : these were pub-
lished at Venice^ 1517, &vo, but are rather dull and unia^
vitiligo His^^ Lyrio poeoas,'* sonnets^ canzoni, Itq. were
published at Venice, 1502, 8vo, and Milan, 1519. In these
we find a littl($ more spirit and vivacity, but they partake
f>f the poetical character of his time. Quadrio, however^
xanks them among tbe best in the Italian language.* . ' ,
CORNEILLE (Michael), born at Paris in 1642, was
ane of those eminent painters who adorned tbe age of
Louis XIV» His father, who was himself a painter of
merit, instructed hin^ with much care. Having gained a
prize at the academy, young ComeiUe was honoured with
the king's pension, and sent to Rome ; where the princely
generosity of Louis had founded a school for young artists
of genius. Here he studied some time ; but thinking him*
self under restraint to the reutine of study there esta*
blished, ha gave up his pension, and pursued a plan more
flttitable to his own inclination. He applied himself to the
antique particularly with great care ; and in drawing is
said to bavQ' equalled Carache. In colouring he was de<*
ficient ; but bis advocates say, bia deficiency in that respect
vfl3 solely owing to his having been unacquainted witli the
mature of ^colouts ^ for he used many of a changeable nature,
v^hicb in time lost their efiect. Upon his return from
Jtome^ he was chosen a professor in tbe academy of Paris ;
and was employed by the king in all the great works be
was carrying on at Versailles and Trianon, where some
noble efforts of bis genius are to be seen. He died at
Paris in 1708.^
CORNEILLE (Peter), one of tbe most celebrated
French poets^ and called by his countrymen tbe Shak-*
speare of France, was born at Roan, June 6, 1606, of con-*
sidefable parents, his father having been ennobled for bis
services by Louis XIIL He was brought up to the bar,
which. he attended some little time ; but having no turn fpr
business, he ^oon deserted it. At this time he bad given
• Oinguen^ Hist. Lit. d^Italie. — ^Roscoe^s Leo.-r-Moreri.
« D'Argenville.— Pilkinftoa.
C O R N E I L L Ir 36?
the public no specimen of bis talents for poetry, nor ap«
fiears to have been conscious of possessing any such : and
they tell us, that it was purely a trifling aSair of gallantry^
which gave occasion to his first comedy, called '< Melite.'^
The drama was then extremely low among the French;
their tragedy flat and languid, their comedy more bar«
barous than the lowest of the vulgar would now tolerate.
Corneille was astonished to find himsblf the author of a
pi«ce entirely new, and at the prodigious success with
which his ^^ Melite'^ was acted. The French theatre
seemed to be raised, and to flourish at once ; and though
deserted in a manner before, was now filled on a sudden
with a new company of actors. After so happy an essay^
he continued to produce several other pieces of the same .
kind ; all of them, indeed, inferior to what he afterwards
wrote, but much superior to any thing which the French
had hitherto seen. His ^' Medea" came forth next, a tra-
gedy, borrowed in part from Seneca, which succeeded, as
indeed it deserved, but indifferently ; but in 1637 he pre-*
sented the " Cid," another tragedy, in which he shewed
the world how high his genius was capable of rising, and
seems to confirm Du Bos^s assertion, that the age of thirty,
or a few years more or less, is that at which poets and ^
painters arrive at as high a pitch of perfection as their ge*
niuses will permit. . All Europe has seen the Cid : it has
been translated into almost all languages : but the reputar
tioD which he acquired by this play, drew all the wits of his
time into a confederacy against it. Some treated it con^
temptupusly, others wrote against it. Cardinal de Riche*
lieu himself is said to have been one of this cabal ; for, not
content with passing for a great minister of state^ be af«-
fected to pass for a wit and a critic ; and, therefore, though
he had settled a pennon upon the poet, could not abstain
from secret attempts against his play *. It was supposed
to be under his influence that the French Academy drew
up that critique upon it, entitled, " Sentiments of the
French academy upon the tragi-comedy of Cid i*^ in which^
♦ Not one of the CardinaPs toots was at the gates of Paris. In 1635, Richei^
•0 vebemetit tm Um mbb6 D'Avblgnac, lieu, in the midst of the impoitaoi
who was meaa enon^h to attack Cor- political cooceras that ocoapied hit
neille on account of bis family, bis per- mighty genius, wrote the greatest pari
•ott, bit n^stiire, hit voice, and eyen of a play called '* La Comedie des
the cooduct of hit domestic affiain. Tailleries," in which Comeille pro-
, When th« " Cid" first appeared, says posed some alterations to be made in
Fontenelle, the cardmal was as much the third act : which honest freedom
alannsd «9 ilbe bad •eca tke Spaaiwdt the cardiail never furfara, Wiui'^oiu
f 6S • O R K E I L L E:
liovrever, while they censured some parts, they did not
scruple to praise it very higWy in others. Corneiller now
endeavoured to support the vast reputation lie had gained,
by many admirable performances in succession^ which, as
Bayie observes, " carried the French theatre to its highest
pitch of glory, and assuredly much higher than the ancient
one at Athens ;** yet still, at this time, he had to contend
with the bad taste of the most fashionable wits. When he
read his " Polyeucte,'* one of his best tragedies, before s(.
company of these, where Voiture presided, it was very
coldly received ; and Voiture afterwards told him, it was
the opinion of his friends that the piece would not succeed.
In 1647 he was chosen a member of the French academy;
and was what they call dean of that society at the time of
bis death, which happened in 1684, in his 79th year.
He was, it is said, a man of a devout and melancholy cast ;
and upon a disgust he had conceived to the theatre, from the
cold reception of his " Pertharite," betook himself to the
translation of " The Imitation of Jesus Christ," by Kempis j
which he performed very elegantly. He returned, however,
to the drama, although not with his wonted vigour. He spoke
little in company, even upon subjects which he perfectly
understood. He was a very worthy and honest man ; not
very dexterous in making hisT court to the great, which was
perhaps the chief reason why he never drew any consider*
able advantage from his productions, besides the reputation
which always attended them. Racine, in a speech made
to the French academy in the beginning of 16S5, does
great justice to our author's talents. After representing
the miserable state in which the French theatre then was,
tbat it was without order, decency, sense, caste, he passes
to the sudden reformation effected by Corneille : ^^ a man
who possessed at once all those extraordinary talents which
form a great poet; art, force, judgment, and wit. Nor
can any one sufficiently admire the greatness of his senti<-
ments, the skill he shews in the economy of his subjects,
bis masterly way of moving the passions, the dignity, and
at the same time the vast variety of his characters.*' This
encomium must have the more weight, as it comes from
the only man in the world who has been considered as his
great rival. Yet we are told, that when Racine read his
tragedy of " Alexander" to Corneille^, the latter gave him
many commendations, but advised him to apply his geuius,
as not being adapted to the dramas to smue other species
C O R N E I L L £, 269
of poetry. Corneille^ says Dc. Warton, one would hope^
was incapable of a mean jealousy ; and if he gave this ad-
vice, thought it reatly proper to be given. The French
have ever been fond of opposing Corneille to Sbakspeare;
but the want, of comic povi^rs in Corneille, for his come-
dies are tfuly contemptibie, must ever obstruct the compa*
risen. His genius was unquestionably very rich, but seems
more turned towards the epic than the tragic muse ; and in
general he is magnificent and splendid, rather than tender
and touching. He is, says Blair, an opinion in which all
English critics agree, the most declamatory of all the French
tragedians. He united the copiousness of Dryden with
the fire of Lucan ; and he resembles them also in their
faults: in their extravagance and impetuosity. As to the
opinions of the best modern French critics, on the merits
of Coraeille, we may refer to an admirable ^^ Eioge,**
published by Da Ponte, in London, 1808, and to Su-
ard's <' Melange de Litterature,'' 1 808. But Fontenelle's
comparison between Corneille and Racine, as less accfes-
sible to many readers, may be added here with advantage.
Corneille^ says Fontenelle, had no excellent author before
his eyes, whom he could follow; Racine had CorneiUe.
Corneille found the French stage in a barbarous state,' and
advanced it to great perfection :. Raciue has not supported
it in the perfection in which he found it* The characters
of Corneille are true, though they are not common : the
characters of Racine are not true, but only in proportion
as they are common. Sometimes the characters of Cor-
neille are, in some respects, false and unnatural, because
they are tioble and singular ; those of Racine are often, in
some respects, low, on. account of their being natural and
ordinary. He that has a noble heart, would chuse to re-
semble the heroes of CorneiUe; he that has a little heart,
is- pleased to find his own resemblance iu' the heroes of
Racine. We carry, from hearing the pieces of the one^
a desire to be virtuous ; and we carry the pleasure of 6nd-
ing men like ourselves, in foibles and weaknesses, from
tbe pieces of the other. The tender and graceful of Ra-
cine is sometimes to be found in Corneille : tbe grand and
sublime of Corneille is never to be found in Racine. Ra-
cine has'paitited only the French and the present age, even
when be designed to paiilt another age and other nations :
^we see in Corneille all those ages, and all those nations^
that he intended to paint. The number of the pieces of Cor-
27a C O R N E I L L E.
neille is much greater than xh&t of Racine : Corneille^ not«
withstanding, has made fewer tautologies and repetitioos
than Racine has made. Iti the passages where the vecsi-^
fication of Corneille is good, it h moie bold, wor^ nobie^
aiid» at the«ame time, as pure and as iiiHsbed. as tbat of
Racine : but it is not preserved in this degree of beaiil^ ^
and that of Racine is always equaligr supported. Authors^
inferior to Racine, have written successfully after Jiiiii, i»
bis own way : no author, not even Racine bifnself^ dared to
attempt, after CorneiUe^ that kind of writing which was
peculiar to hina. Voltaire, the best editor of CorjOeiUe"^
svorks^ seems in some measure to coincide with Fonte-^
tielle. ." Corneille," says be, " alone formed bifioself:
hat Louis XIV. Colbert, Sophocles, and Euripides, all oS
them contributed to form Racine.*' When we arrive^ how«*
ever, at Racdue, it will be necessary to estimate hisineriit,
wiliiQuc the bias wbich cotmparative criticism generaUy pco*
duces.
Of the editions of the theatre of Corneille^ consisting of
nine comedies aad twenty-two tragedies, the best .ai^, tjsjat
of Joly, published ijn 1758, 10 vols. l2aio.. end ihat of Vol*
tajjce, 1J64, 1:2 vols. 3vo, aod^ lastly^ the magoifioent one
of Didot, 179^;, in IQyols. 4to, of which 250 copies only
wese |)riated. ^
. CORNEILLE (Thomas), brother to the firecedin^ ;|i
French poet also, but itiferior to Peter CorneiUe, was bora
in 1625. He was a member of the French academy, and of
4he academy of inscriptions. He discovered, when he iwm
youngt a stvosig inclination and genius for poetry; juid
afterwards was the author of many dramatic piecei^ some
of which were well received by the public^ and acted with
^neat success. He died at Andeli, 1709^ aged. 84. His
dramatic works, with those of his brother, were pAiibtLtsbed
tttPa^ris, 17389 in il vols. 12 mo. Besides dramatic, Tho»-
mas Corneille was the author of some other works : as^
1. A translation of Ovid's Metaaiorpboses and somp.of his
Epistles. 2. Remarks upoo Vaqgelas. S« ^^ A dictenary
of arts,'Vin.2 vols, folio, 4. ^^ An univensal geographical
imd Ustorical dictionary ,^* in 3 vols, folio. In tbelf^t wocfc,
4hat pavtofthe geography iwlHch concerns >}ormandy4s said
to be excellent. As to his dramatic talents, ,they>were:&r
from being contemptibly and a few of his pieces tttUl keep
* Moreri. — Diet. Htst. — Fontenelle's Works. — Blanr's Lectures*— Wartoa's
•Esiay on Pope, edit. 1606. — D^Israeli's Curiosities «f Uteratiif«» t»).il«
C O R N E I L L E. Ml
dneir plaeifi on the stage ; iHit it was his misfortune to b^ st
Comeiile^and brother of one emphatically called the GreaC
Corneiile. *.
CORNETO <Adrian.) See ADRIAN. '
CORN WALLIS (Charles, first MarqJGfis),^ the eldest
son of Oharles fifth lord and first earl OornwalUs, by Eli^
zabetb, eldest daughter of Charles, second viscount Towns-
end, was born Dec. 31, 1738, and educated at Eton,- and
at St John's eoiiege^ Cambridge. Preferring a military
life, he was, in August ]7«3, appointed aid-de-camp t^
Ae king, witti the rank ot oobnei of footv In Sept. 4775^ '
he became major-genei'al^ -in August, 1777, iteutemant^
general ; and in October, 17^3, general. He repre^nted, iH
two parliaments, the borMgih of Eye, in SniFolk, until he suc^
ceeded his father in the peerage, Jone'23, 1762. In par^
liaitienft, he was not a freqqent or dt^ingHished spealcen
In the iiouse of peers fae appears to have been rather fa«
vourable to the claims of t£e American colonies, which^
bowev^, when they came to mk open rupture with the
mother coontry^ did not pr^»ent Mm from accepting a
eotnmanid in America, where he distingdistied bim«elf at
the battle of Brandywine^ iw 1777, and aftervfaids at tb^
siege of Cfaariestown, and- was' left in the command of South
Carolina, where his administmtion was commended for itk
wisdom^ lie was sodn obliged to take the field, aiid ob-
milled the deceive vk^ory^of Ca«nden, and was next vio
torioos at'GnfMfcMrd, bnt not witboat a considerable loss a(
men. His plaii of invading Virginia, in 1781, was of mor^
doubtful pr^ideince, and ended in bis capture, with bis whple
enoy «f four thousand men. Tbws defeated, he laid tiie
blame on the failure of escpeeted succour from sir Henry
Clinton, who in return* equally blamed both the sdieme
ami its conduct, and several pa^mphtets- were published b|f
both these* commanders, into the merits of which ^ ean«-
tiot pretend to enter. It is efficient for our purpose to be
aUe to add, that lord ComwaHis lost no reputation by thife
misfortune^ eidier for skill or courage.
. Soon aner his return ffotm America, on the change of
administratioti which took place in 17S9, he was removed
frimi his place of governor of the Tower of London, which
he had held since 1770, bat was re^appointed in 1784, and
tetained it during his life. In 1786, his lordship was sent
' Moreri.— Diet. Hist.
&12 c o njsrrw KhhiB.
9ut to liidia with the doiiU^ i^i^poiotment of gO¥eraorrge>
neral.antd- commander in chief; and arriviog at Calcutta
in September of that year^ found the different presidenoies
in rising prosperity. Not k>ng after, the goyecnment of
Bengal found it necessary to declare war against the sultan
of the Mysore^ for his attack jon thera)ahof Travancofe,
the ally of the English. The campaign of I79awas.inde<»
cisive; but in March 1791, lord CornwalUs invaded the
Mysorci and came in. sight <^ Seringapatam, which he was
prevented from investing by the floods of the Carery. In
17^2, however, he besieged that, metropolis; and on the
ap{H'oach of tbe attack^ the .saltan Tippoo Saib sued £oat
peace,, and was obliged to accept such terms as the EngUsh
commander dictatedv . He conaeiHbed. to cede, a part of his
dominions, paid a large.suin of money, undertook to fur-r
pish a.still more con^iderableippintio^oftreastirey within a li*
mited periods &c^ and entrusted twioof his sons tothe care
of lord Cornwallis, with whom they were to lemain as hos^
tages for the due perforiMn«e of; the tneaty. By .this sue*
oessful oonciusioii of the waur, jbhe^ most formidable - eoemjT
was so reduced, as to render^j^ur possessions in bdia botli
profitable and secure^ .Madras was. protected from invasion
by possession of the passes,. lajnd Qovjcred.by a terditory.de*-*
fended by strong forts.; aod the value of Bonibay was
greatly enhanced^ by possessions gained on ,the Malabar
ociast* The details of this vrarbeloog to. history ; bnt it is
necessary; to add> that in Ithe whole conduct .<^ it^ lord
Corowallis evinced qualities of the head antl heart whieb
greatly increased bis reputation as a commander. Cta
marching days,, it was his constant custom to be in bis tent
from the time the army came to the ground of encampmetit^
and on haltJiog^days^ after visiting, the outposts in the
morning, he was. there constantly , employed till the eveor
ing, attending to th# affaira, depending on hb station.
The. business which pressed upon, him from the several ar*
inies, a^d from every part of India, were so compUcaied
and various, as to require every. eKercion of diligence and
arrangement. He gave his instructions, .in person, to. all
officers who went on detacbmc»ts. of.impoi^taDce, and saw
them on their return. Officers atthe heads. of departmeoiU
applied to himself on all material business, and there was
no brjinch of the service with which he was .not intimately^
acquainted. His lordship^s tents, ajid the line of head-
quarters, appeared more like the various departments of a
COR N W A L LI S. 271
^at office of state^ than the splendid equipage that might
be supposed to attend the leader of the greatest arables
that, under a British general, were ever assembled in the
east. To this unremitting attention to business, is not
only to be ascribed the general success of the administra^
tion of lord Cornwallis in India, and in particular that of
the operations of this war, but also the unexampled -ecoi*
nomy with which it was conducted.
This important war being now ended, so highly to the hor
nour of the British arms, lord Cornwallis returned to Eng-
land, to receive the rewards justly due to his merit. He
bad before been invested with the insignia of the garter ;
and he was, in August 1792, advanced to the dignity of
marquis Cornwallis, admitted a member of the privy-coun*
cil, and, in addition to his other appointments, was nomi-
nated to the office of master* general of the ordnance. In
1798, the rebellion in Ireland appearing both to the vice:-
roy, lord Camden, and to his majesty, to require a lord*
lieutenant who could act in a military as well as a civil
capacity, the king appointed k>rd Cornwallis to that im-
portant service, which he executed with skill, prompti-
tude, and humanity ; and after quelling the open insurrec*
tion, he adopted a plan of mingled firdnness and concilia-
tion, which, executed with discriminating judgment, tended
to quiet that distracted country, and prepare matters for a
permanent plan, that should both prevent the recurrence
of such an evil, and promote industry and prosperity.
He retained this high appointment till May 1801, when
be was succeeded by the earl of Hardwicke. The same
year he was appointed plenipotentiary to . France, and
signed the peace of Amiens.
In 1804, his lordship had the honour of being ap-
pointed, a second time, governor-general in the East In-
dies, on the recall of marquis Wellesley ; and in that sta-
tion he died at Ghazepore, in the province of Benaresj
October 5, 1805, worn out with an active life spent in
the service of his country, and covered with glory and
honours. His amiable character and unassuming dispor
sition made him as universally beloved as he was re-
spected. His talents were not brilliant: but they proved
what a good heart, inflamed by an honourable ambition,
nKiy,* by the aid of perseverance, efFett. His lordship
married, July 14, 1768, Jemima, daughter of James Jones,
VOI-.X. rj, .
«H G O K 6 N E L.
^sq. by whom lid had ah only son, CftatlcSj thc^r^senk
ifiarqtiis.^
CORONEL (PAiJt)^ a Spanish ecdesiastic, was born al
Segovia, and bedame tnfiineht foi- bis critical ktibwledgA
<Jf oriental languageis, MA especially Ihfe origihal laftguage^
of the Holy Scriptiil*^. He Was one of the professor^
of th^ university 6f Salamanca, When cardinal Xioiefies
eniployed him, among other learhfed men, on his celebrated
•edition of the Polyglot Bible. He also was the Author of
an addition to the work of Nicholas de Lira^ **De trfens^
lalionum diff^rentii's.^' Hfe died Se{)t 30, 1534.^
CORONELLI (VlNCEi^T), d fcelebrated geographer of
the Minime order, and a most laborious felhd vblilnlinotis
compiler, was bom at Venice, and admitted doctor at the
^ge bf 2'!". Becoming known to cardinal d'Estr^es by his
skill in mathematics, he was employed by his eminence t6
make globes for Louis XIV. He staid some time at Pariis
ibr that purpose, arid left many globeis there, which were
ttt that time much esteemed. Coronelli was appointed
rosmogfaphct- to the republic of Venice in 1685, and
public professfor of geography in 16B9. He iifterwardi
became definitdr-general of his o^der, and gfenefal May 14-,
1702. After founding a costnographidal* academy at Ve^
nice, hedied irithat cityj Deci^mber 1718, leaving abovA
four hundred maps-. His publications were so numerous
fki to fill about thirty TolUlries, most of them ih foliot
Among these are, 1. " Atlahte VenetOj^' 4 vols, folio, Ve-*
nice, 16^91; 2. " Ritrafcti de celebri personaggi delP
academia cosmografica, &c.'* Vtenicei, 1697, folio. 3i
^* Specchio del mare Mediterraneb," ibid, 16911', folio.
4. ** Bibliotheca universalis," 6t an uiiiversal Dictionary^
art imriiense undeirtdking, to be extended to forty-five folio
volumes. AH the accounts we have of Coronelli differing^
we ktt0)V not how fer he had proceeded in this work. Mo-
reri says he had published seven volumes ; but an extiract
froni soiiie foreign journal, in-the " Memoirs of Literatui^e,**
states that, in !'709, eighteen volumes had appeared^ #hieh
went tio farther thin the word GaValieri, in letter G. W^
doubt, therfefbre, if thb author cbuld hav^ cbmprieiised hid
ihaterials iit 45. That he shoiild Ifentertain a favouinaU^
1 .Collin^'s Peerage, by mr E. Brydges^— Dirom's Nairattv&of ihc Caii)p«i|i|
in lodia, 4to, 1793.-- Adolphus and Bisiet's Ubt of the Reign of George IIL
; Mbr^ri.— Ahtbnlo Bibf. HIsp.
C OR ON. EL L I. 275
o{ttl^i(Mi of his laboun, and predict, that aU oth^r iiio*
tionari«s intiBtsink before hM> and that he should exult in
the idea of leaving behind him the largest coinfiHaytion^ver
made, is not surprizing : we ave more disp6sed toiWQnder
at the spirit of iitetary emefpriae amofig the printers' and
bookselli^rs in those days^ which enoousaged such under^
tsdcingSi * ^
CORRADtNI (DE Sbzza^ Pbter Marcellikus), a
learned auttqttaryy born in I6l50, was first a lawyer, and in
that profe86i(^n so diatinguished,- as to attract the notice of
pope Clefifient XL who appointed him to honourable and
confidentkl offices* Disgusted, howisver^ by the intrigues
of the court, he- gave himself up to retirement, for the pur*-
pose of ^ppfying to literary pursuits* Here he remained till
be w«is created cardinal by pope Innocent XIIL which dig-
inity he enjoyed tnore than tv^nty years, and died at Rome
in 1743.^ He wrote a learned and curious work, entitled
^' VetusLat»am,'profanttm et sacrum," Rom6, 1704 and 1707,
U vols. IbL ; reprinted in ^l 7^7, 4 vols. 4tp : likewise a history
of his native pla^e, entitled *< De civitate eli ecclesia Set*-
tifta ;'* Roin^ ilOdt^ 4to. He is said to have written a dis-
se^t^ion co»carmng oevcain contested rights between the
emperor and th^ pope, ^^ De jure precum primariarum,'*
1707, under tbe'assumed name of Conradus Oligenius. '
CORRA'NUS, or DE CORRO (Anthony)^ the son of
Am. Goi^anos, LL.D« was bom at Seville, in Spain, in
l$U7f atid educated for t^ Roman Catholic church ; but
being aftervmrds desirous of embracing the reformed reli««-
giott, be'dame to l^ngland in 1 570, and being admitted
iiM:o tbe SngUsb church, beoame a frequent preacher. In
1571 J^'WQs made reader of divinity in the Templei» by the
interest>of Dr% Edwin Sandys^ bishop of London, and con- ,
timsed ii^ that office abouttbree years. In the beginning of
Aferth' 1 516^ tie was recommended to the university of Ox^
ford ^r a fdootor's degvee^ by their cbamK^dior^ the earl of
'L^^f^sUfii but doubts being raised as to the soundness of
his prinelpl^'OA O0rtain contested points, his degree was
refiftseduntilhe' should giva fall satis&ciion^ which he pro^
bably. did^ although, the matter is not upon record. At
Oxford \ie became reader of divinity to thestudeUts io
douoesUer, St. Mary's, and Hart-ball^ and resided as a
1 Moreri.— Diet. Hist-^^Metndirl of Litmtm, tol. I.— Most of CorSnelli*^
irorks are in tbe British Museum.
* Moreri.
T 2
27ft C O R R A N U S.
Student of Cbristchurch, holding at the same time the pre-
bend of Harleston in St. Paul's. He died at London in
March 1591, and was buried either at St. Andrew^ Hol«
born, or St. Andrew Wardrobe. His works are, 1. ^* Aa.
Epistle to the pastors of the Flemish church at Antwerp,^*
originally written in Latin, Lond. 1570, 8vo. 2. ** Ta-
bulae Divinorum operum, de humani generis creatione,''
15749 Svo ; and afterwards published in English. 3. *' Dia-
l6gus Theologicus,^' ah explanation ef St. Paul's Epistle
to the Romans, collected frotn his Jectures, 1574, 8 vt>;
also translated, 1579. 4. '^ Suppliciition to the king of
Spain," respecting the protestants^in the Low Countries,
1577, 8vo, published in Latin, French, and English.
5. ^ NoteB in concionem Solomonis f * i, e. Scclesiastes,
1579 and 1581, 8vo; and again, by Seultetus^ in 1618.
6. \^ Sermons on Ecclesiastes," abridged by Thmnas Pitt,
Oxon. 1585, -8vo, probably an abridgement «f the pre-
ceding. 7. '< A Spanish grammar, with certain rules for
teaching both the Spanish and French tongues,*' translated
into Englii^ by Thorius. Lond. 159€^, 4toi'^
CORREGIO (Antonio Allegi^i da>^ som^mes 'e^Ued
Lseti, an eminent . htstoiical' painter^ was born in 1490*
or* 1494. Being descended of poor parents, and educated
in an obscure village, he enjoyed noneof those advantages
which contributed .to form the other great painters of that
illustrious age. He saw : none of the statues <^ an<iient
Greece or Rome ; nor any of the works ^ of the established
schools of Rome and Venice. But nature was his guide ;
and.Corregio was one of her favourite pupils. To express
the facility with which he painted,* he lised to say^that he
always had his thoughts ready at the end ctf his penciL '
The agreeable smile, and the profusion of graces which
he gave to his Madonnas, saints, andehildren, have been
taxed with being sometimes unnatural ; -but still they are
amiable and seducing ; an easy and flowing pencil, an
union and harmony of colours, and a perfect intelligence
of light and shade, give an astonishing relief to- idl his
pictures, and have been, the admiration both of hiseoti*
* Tlie birth and Ufe» lays Mr. Fa- account of hipo has undoubtedly been
seli, of Correg^io, is more involved in given by A. R. Menp, inr his '* Me-
obscurity than the life of Apelles. Whe- morie concerneote ta Vita di Corre^io.*
ther he was bom in 1490, or 1494, is vol. U. of hit works, puUisbed by • Ni*
not.as<:er^ined : the time of his death, cole d'A^^fu ,
in 1534, is more certain* The best ' \
» Ath, Orf. vol I.
# C O R R E G I O. 277
temporaries and successors. Annibal Caracci, wbo-ilou-
. rished fifty years after him^ studied and adopted his mai^-
ner in prefereDce to that of aijy other master. In a letter
to big cousin Louis, he expresses with great warmth the im-
pression which vms made on him by the first sight of Corre-
gio^s paintings : ^* Every thing which I see here/' says he,
^^astomshes me ; particularly the colouring and the beauty
of the children*. They live — they lireathe-^Tbey smile
with so much grace and so much reality, that it is impos*
sible to. refrain from smiling and partaking of their enjoy-
ment* My. heart, is ready to break with grief when I think
. on the unhappy fate of poor Corregio— that so wonderful a
man (if be ought not .rather to be called an angel) should
^nish bis days so miserably in a country where his talents
were nevi^r known P
. From want of curiosity or of resolution, or from want of
patroiifige, Corregio never visited Romie, but remained bis
. whole tife at Parma, where the art of painting was little
esteemed, and of consequence poorly rewarded. This con-
' fUrFence,of unfavourable circumstances occasioned at last
« bis premature deaith, at thOcage of forty.' He wa^ emplov-
i ed to paint the cupola of the cathedral at. Parma, the suo-
ject of which is an '^Assumption of the Virgin;'* and
having-exicuted it ,io a manner that has long been.the
admiration of ^Very person of good taste, for the grandeur
of design, and especially fwr.the boldness of the. fore-short-
enings (an art, which he first and at once brought tq the
utnK>st perfection}^ ha went to receive his payment The
canons of the churchy either through ignorance or base-
nesj^3 found fault wi^h his work; and although the price
originally agreed upon bad been. very moderate, they al-
.: lodged that it was far above the merit of the artis,t, and
forced him lo accept of the paltry sum of 200 livres ;
which, to add to the indignity, they paid him in copper
' in^ney. To carry home this unworthy load to his indigent
. wife and children, poor Corregio had to, travel six or eight
miles from Parma. The weight of bis burden^ the heat of
\ the weather, and his chagrin at this treatment, threw him
into a pleurisy, which in three days put an end to his life
and his misfortunes in 1534.
For the preservation of this magni¢ work the world
is indebted to Titian. As he passed through Parma in the
suite of Charles V. he ran instantly to see the cbef-d^Gsuvre
of Corregio. While he was attentively viewing it, one of
278 C O R R E G 1 O. •
the principal canons of the church told hitn that such d
grotesque performance did not merit bis notice, and that
they intended soon to have the whole defaced. '* Have a
care of what you do,'* replied the other : " if I were not
Titian, I would certainly wish to be Corregio."
Corregio*s exclamation upon viewing a picture by Ra«
phael is well known. Having long been accustomed to
hear the most unbounded applause bestowed on the work^
of that divine painter, he by degrees became less desirous
than afraid of seeing any of them. One, however, he at
last had occasion to see. He examined it attentively for
some minutes in profound silence ; and then with an air
of satisfaction exclaimed, ^^ 1 too am a painter.'' Julio
Romano, on seeing some of Conregio^s pictures at Parma,
declared they were superior to any thing in painting he had
yet beheld. One of these no doubt would be the famous
Virgin and Child, with Mary Magdalene and St. Jerom.
Dufresnoy says of this artist, that he ^* struck out cer-
tain natural and unaffected graces for his Madonnas, his
saints, and little children, which were peculiar to himself.
His manner, design, and execution, are all very great, but
yet without correctness. He had a most free and delight-'
ful pencil; and it is to be acknowledged, that he painted
with a strength, relief, sweetness, and vivacity of colour-
ing, which nothing ever exceeded. He understood how
to distribute his lights in such a manner, as was wholly pe-
culiar to himself, which gave a great force and great
roundness to his figures. This manner consists in extend-
ing a large light, and then making it lose itself insensibly
in the dark shadowings, which he placed out of the masses :
and those give them this relief, without our being able to
perceive from whence proceeds so much effect, and so
vast a pleasure to the sight. It appears th&t in this part
the rest of the Lombard scliool copied him. He had no
great choice of graceful attitudes, or distribution of beau-
tiful groupes. His design often appears lame, and bis'
positions not well chosen : the look of his figures is often
unpleasing; but his manner of designing heads, hands,
feet, and other parts, is very great, and well deserves our
imitation. In the conduct and finishing of a picture he
has done wonders ; for he painted with so much union, that
bis greatest works seem to have been finished in the com-
pass»of one day^ and^ appear as if we saw them in a look*
C O R R E 6 i O, «T*
ijfig^l^^'' His landscape U ^ually beautiful witb hi#
^* Ti^ ^jccellepcy of Corregip's wanner," says sir Josbuj^
Reynolds^ ^' has justly been admired by all succeeding
painters. TUi^ manner is in direct opposition to wbat 19
called ti^e dry and hard manner which preceded him. His
coLour, and his mode of finisbingi apprpfich nearer to per^
&ction than tbose of aiiy other painter ; the gliding mo*
tion of his outline, and the ^wisetness with which it melts
into the ground; the cleanness and transparency of his
pdiourifig, which stop at that exact medium in y^hich the
parity and perfection of taste lies, leave nothing to be
wished for."
Mr. Fuseli's opinion of Corregio may with great pro*
priety close these criticisms. — ^' Another charm," says the
professor, ^^ was yet wanting to complete the round of art— *
harmony. It appeared with Antonio L^jeti, called Corregio^
whose works it attended like an enchanted spirit. The
harmony and the grace of Corregio are proverbial : th«
medium which by breadth of gradation pnites two opposite
principles, the coalition of light and darkness, by imper-
f^eptible transition, are the element of his style. This in*'
spires his figures with grace, to this their grace is subordi'^
jQ^e:. the most appropriate, the most elegant attitudes
were adopted, rejected, peiiiaps sacrificed to the most
aukward ones, in compliance with this imperious principle :
parts vanished, were absprbed, or femerg^d in obedience
to it. This unison of a whole, predominates over all that
reoaains of him, froiii the vastness of his cupolas to the
snoaile^t of his oil- pictures. The harmony of Corregio,
though assisted by exquisite hues, was entirely indepen-
dent of colour : his great organ was chiaroscuro in its most
extensive sense : compared with the expanse in which he
iloats, the effects of Lionarda da Vinci are little more than
the dying ray of evening, and the concentrated flash of
.Giorgione discordant abruptness. The bland central light
of a globe, imperceptibly gliding through lucid demitints
int<> rich reflected shades, composes the speil of Corregio,
^nd affects us' with the soft emotions of a delicious dream."
Of Corregio's best oil-pictures, Italy has been deprived
by purchase or by spoil. Dresden possesses the qelebrated
** Night," or rather " Dawn ;" the " Magdalen reading;"
and a few more of less excellence, or less authentic cha*
280 C O R R E G I O.
raeter. The two allegoric pictures, called *^ Leda and
Danae/' once in the possession of queen Christina, mi-
grated to France, and with the picture of lo, were mangled
or destroyed by bigotr}\ A duplicate of the lo, and a
*^ Rape of Ganymede'* are at Vienna* Spain possesses
" Christ praying in the Garden," and " Mercury teaching
Cupid to read in the presence of Venus." To the " Spo-
salizio of St Catharine," which France possessed before,
the spoils of the revolution have added the *^ St. Jerome
with the Magdalen," the '^^ Madonna della Scudella," the
" Descent from the Cross," and the " Martyrdom of St.
Placido," from Parma. *
CORSINI (Edward), a monk of the Ecoles-Pies, and a
mathematician and antiquary, was bom at Fanano in 1702,
and died in 1765, at Pisa, where die grand duke had given
him a chair in philosophy. This science occupied his first
studies, and his success soon appeared from the ^' Philoso-
phical and Mathematical Institutions," 1723 and 1724j 6
irols. 8vo. For the doctrines of Aristotle, which then were
^nerally adopted in a part of Italy, he substituted a
species of philosophy at once more usefiil and mor& true.
JEncouraged'by the favourable reception his work bad met
with, he published in 1755 a new ^^ Course of Geometrical
Elements," written with precision and perspicuity. On
. being appointed professor at Pisa, he revised and retbuched
his twp performances. The former appeared, with coiis&«
derabie corrections,, at Bologna in 1742; and the second,
. augmented with *^ Elements of Practical Geometry," was
published at Venice in 1748, 2 vols. 8vo. He was Well
, versed in, hydrostatics and history. After having sedulously
applied for several years to the classical authors, and par-
ticularly those of Greece, he proposed to write the ^* Fasti
of the Archons of Athens," the first volume of which ap«
.peared in 1.73i^> in 4to, and the fourth and last, ten years
after, Bei'iig called in 174^ to the chair of moral philo-
sophy and metaphysics, he composed a <^ Course of Metii«
physics," which appeared afterwards at Venice in 175^.
His learned friends Muratori, Gorio, MaflPei, Quirini, PaiH-
>sionei, now persuaded him to abandon philosophy ; and,
at their solicitations, he returned to criticism and eru-
dition, r IB'1747 he published four dissertations in 4to, on
1 Meni^, as in preceding note.-^VaMri«— Sir Joshua Reynolds's Works.'-*-
Fuseli'i JLectures. See also bis edition of Pilkington.
C O R B 1 B L 281
the sacred gasaesof Gceece^ in which he gave an exact list
of the athletic victorsi Tiso years aftenrards he hroeght
oat, in folio, an exceileot work on the abhreviations used
ill Greek io9criptions> under this title, '^ De^notis Gr&s*
^orum.'' This accurate and sagacious pefformance was
followed by several dissertations relative to objects of learn-
ing. But the high esteem in which he was held by his
acquaintance on account. of .his virtues and industry, was
an imerruption to his labours, he being appointed general
pf his order in 1754 ; yet the leisure left him by the it-
. 4uous .duties of his station he devoted to bia former studies,
and when the term of his generalship expired, he hastened
, back to Pi'i^, td resume the functions of professor. He
now published several new dissertations, and especially an
ejcqellent worky ^one of the best ef his performances, eh-
titled '^ De prafectb urbis/' At length he confined the
. ^hole of his. application on the ^' History of the University
of Pisa/' of which be had been appointed historiographer,
and yvBB about to produce the first volume when a stroke
of apoplexy carried him off, in spite of all the resources 6f
the medical art, in December 1765; ^ .
. CORT (CoANELius), a celebrated engraver, was born at
Hoorn in Holland in 1536. After having learned the first
principles of drawing and engraving, he went to Italy lo
^ complete his studies, aud visited all the places famous for
the works of the great> masters. At Venice he was cour-
teously received by Titian; and engraved several plates
. from the pictures of that admirable painter. He at last
settled at Rome> where he died, 1578, aged forty -two.
According to Basan^ he .was the best engraver with the
burin. or graver only that Holland ever produced. '< We
find in his prints,'' adds he, ^' correctness of drawing, and
an exquisite taste." He praises also the taste ahd light-
ness of touch with which he engraved landscapes, and that
without the assistance of the point It is no small honbur
to this artist, thatAgostino CarTacci was his scholar, and
imitated his style of engraving rath^ than that of any
pdber master. His. engravings are very numerous (151 ac-
ceding to abb^ Marolles), and. by no means uttcominon. *
, CORTE (Gotlieb), professor of l«w at Leip^ic, was
. borA at Bescow, in Lower Lusatia^ Febt^uary 28, 1698. He
' 1 Fabroni Vit« luloronij an elaborate article^ with an ample catalo2;tte of
his works. — ^Dict. Hift.
« Strmt.
fiB^ C O R.T E. i
Vi9^ emnmt iothuk IcBonmgj 9111I assisted i« the Jcfunmltf
pf I^eJi^Mc-at which fslacehei died April 7, 1781, aiged
(bmy<-tbree. Corte pnUished an edition of Saliust:^ printed
at I^ipftic^ 1704^-4^, aritk notes,. whidi is much- esteeteed^
^^ Tre« Satyr«& IVfeanipea^/' Leipsic, 1720, 8vo^ and other
works. ^ . .♦ . ' . .
CORTES (FfiRDlNyiND), a- Spanish eommafi^ei^, famims
UJ^ejt the emperor Cbartes V. for tlie conquest of Me^ico^
W9S bom at Medellin in E&tremadura^ in 14i5. His pa-^
roots inteedied him for study/ but bis dissipated habits cind
overbeariog teooper made bis fadier nvilling to gratify his
inclination by sending him abroad asan advekiturer. Ae^
cprdingly be passed oirer to thie Indies in 1^04, coiMinoed
sopoe time at St; Domingo, and then went to the isle of
Cuba.' He so distinguished himself by his exploits, that
Velasquez, gorernor of Cuba, made him ca^ptain general
of th^ army which he destiifed for the discovery of ne#
countries. Cortes sailed from San-Iago Nov. 18^ 1518^
stationed his little army at the Ha.Tannah', and arrived the
year after at Tabasco in Mexico. He conquered the In-«
dians, founded Vera-Cruz, reduced the province of Tlas«
cgia, and madrched directly to Mexico, the capiul of the
empire. Montezuma, the lemperor of tbe Mexicans, was
constrained to receive him, and thus became a prisoner in
bis own capital : and Cortes not only demanded immense
monies of him, but obliged him to submit all his states to
Charles V. Meanwhile Velasquez, growing jealous of
this success, resolved to traverse the operations of Cortes,
and with this view sent a fleet of 1 2 ships against him t
but Cortea already distrusted him ; and, having obtained
new succours from the Spaniards, made himself master of
all Mexico, and detained as prisoner Guatimosin, the suc-
cessor of Montezuma, and last emperor of tbe Mexicans:.
Tbis was aocottiplisbed Aug. 13, 1521. Charles V. re-
warded these services with the valley of Guaxaca in Mexi-
co, which Cortes erected into a marqakate* He after-i
wards returned to Spain, where he was not received with
the gratitude be expected, and where he died iii 1564,
aged sixty *three. Many have written the history of this
** Conquest of Jtfexico," and particularly Antonio de Sdis,
whose work ha$ been translated into nmny other language^
besides the English, and Clavigero ; and in 1 800 a very
1 Morgri.
C O R T E S- S8S
interesting w:ork was published entitled ^^ The true Histoiy
of the Conquest of Mexico, by captain Bernal Diaz del
Ca0tello» omi of the conquerors, written in 1568, and trans^
lated frcim the original Spanish, by Maurice Keatinge,
esq.'* 4to. Dr. Robertson, in his history of America, has
given a long life of Cortes, whicli, we are sorry to add,
daeg more honour to his pen tbe^n to his judgment or hu-
manity. It is a laboured defence of cruelties that are
indefensible, and ia calculated to present to the reader the
idea of a magnanimous and politic hero, instead of an in-
satiate invader and usurper more barbarous than those he
conquered; a murderer, who appears, like his historians
in modern times, to have been perfectly insensible to the
trae character of the victories which accompanied bis arms.
From bis correspondence with the emperor Charles V«
published at Paris in 1778, by the viscount de Flavigny, it
appears that this insensibility Was so.great in himself, that
in his account of his exploits he neither altered facts, nov
9iodified circnmstancesj to redeem his name from the ex-^
ecratioD of succeeding agea. ^^ His accounts of murders^
assassinations, and perfidious stratagems, his enumeration
of the victims that fell in Mexico, to the thirst of gold,.
covered with the bloody veil of religion, are," says a ju-
dicious writer, .** minute, accurate, irifemaV To these
works, and to the general history of Mexico, we refer for
that evidence by which the merit of Cortes may be more
justly appreciated than by some of his late biographers. ^
CORTESI, orCOURTOIS (Jacob), called IlBorooo-
KONE^ was a Jesuit, born in Francbe Comte, 1621, who car-
ried the art of battle-painting to a degree unknown before or
after him. M. A. Cerquozzi himself did j ustice to his power,
and dissuading him from the pursuit of other branches of
painting, fixed him to that in which he could not but per-
ceive that Cortesi would be his superior rather than his
rival. The great model on which he formed himself was the
*^ Battle of Constantine^' in the Vatican. He had been a
soldier, and neither the silence of Rome, nor the repose
of the convent, could lay his military ardour. He haa
personified courage in attack or defence, and it has been:
said that his pictures sound with the shouts of war, the
neighing of horses, the cries of the wounded. His manner;
of painting was rapid, in strokes, and full of colour; hence
I Works as above. — ^Month. Rer. vol. LX.
284 C O R T E S I
its effect is improved by distance. His style was his own,
though it may have been invigorated by his attention to
the works of Paolo at Venice, and his intercourse with
Guido at Bologna. .He died in 1676, leaving a brother
William Cortesi, like him called Borgognone, who was
the scholar of Pietro da Cortona, though not his imitator.
He adhered to Maratta in the choice and variety of bis
heads, and a certain modesty of composition, but differed
from him in his style of drapery and colour, which has
something of Flemish transparence : his brother, whom he
often assisted, likewise contributed to form his manner.
A Crucifixion in the chprch of St. Andrea on Monte Ca-
▼allo, and the Battle of Joshua in the palace of the Qui*
rinal, by his hand, deserve to be seen. He died in 167i>^
aged 51. The brothers are both mentioned by Strutt as
having etched some pieces. *
CORTEZ, orCORTEZIO (Gregory), a learned car-
dinal, was born of a Doble and ancient family at Modena,
and wvi^ auditor of the causes under Leo X. and afterwards
entered the Benedictine prder, in which his merit raised
him to the highest offices. Paul III. created, him cardinal
in 1 542. He died at Rome in 1548, leaving '^ Epistolar^hi
familiarium Liber,'' 1575, 4to, and other works, chiefly oti
sulo^cts of divinity, which are now forgot, but his letters
contain a considerable portion of literary history and anec-
dote.*
CORTEZI (Paul), an Italian prelate, was born in 1465,
at San Geminiano, in Tuscany. In early life he applied
himself to the forming of bis style by reading the best
authors of antiquity, and particularly Cicero. He wa$ not
above twenty «three when he published a dialogue on the
leaimed men of Italy, " De hominibus doctis." - This prp-
dnction, elegantly composed, and useful to the history of
:tbe literature of his time, remained in obscurity till 173^4,
when it was given to the public by Manni, from.a.cogy
found by Alexander Politi, Florence, 4to, with notes, and
the life of the author. Angelo Politianus, to whom he
communicated it, wrote to him, that ^^ the work, though
superior to his age, was not a prematurefruit." There is
still extant by this writer a conunentary on the four books
of iSpbntences, 1540, folio, in good Latin, but frequen;1y in
' Pilkington.— D^Argenville, toI. IV.— Burjcs's Lives, in art. GouftoiS;«->
Strutt* 3 Moreri.— 'Dupin.
C O R T E Z L 235
'such fi^iliar. terms as to throw a ludicrous air over the
lofty mysteries of the papal church, which was not a little
the fashion of bis time. He also wrote a tract on the dig-
nity of the cardinals^ ^'De Cardinalatu ;^' full of erudition,
variety, and elegance, according to. the testimony of some
Italian authors, and destitute of all those qualities, accord-
ing to that of Du Pin. P. Cortezi died bishop of Urbino
in 1510, in the 45th year of his age. His house, furnish*
ed with a copious library, was the asylum of the muses,
and of all that cultivated their favour. ^
CORTONA. See BERRETINI.
CORyiNUS. See MATTHIAS.
CORYATE (George), a Latin poet of some note in
his day, was born in the parish of St. Thomas, in Salisbury*
He received his educatbn at Winchester-school, and in
'the year 1562 was admitted perpetual fellow of New col-
lege, Oxford. In the year, 1566, on queen Elizabeth^s
visiting the university, he, together with W. Reynolds,
bachelor of ai'ts, received her majesty and her train at New
college ; on which occasion he pronounced an oration, for
which he received great praises and a handsome purse 9f
gold. He afterwards took his degree in arts, and, in .Tune
1 570, became rector of Odcombe on the death of Thomas
Reade, and some time after, bachelor of divinity. In the
year 1 594, he was appointed prebendary of Warthill, in
the cathedral church of York, and also held some other
dignity, but what we are not informed. He died^ at the
parsonage*house at Odcombe, on .the 4th of March, lf)06.
It Is asserted that his son, the celebrated traveller, agree-
ably to his whimsipal character, entertained a design of
preserving his body from stench and putrefaction, and with
that view caused it to be kept above ground until the 14th
of April following, when it was buried in the chancel of
the church of Odfcombe. George Coryate was much com-
mended in his time for his fine fancy in Latin poetry ; and
for certain pieces which he had written was honourably
? noted by several e,minent writers. The only pieces Mr.
^ood had seen of his composition were, 1 . ^^ Poemata
varia Latina,'* London, 1611, 4t6, published by his son
after his death, and by him entitled *^ Posthuma fragmenta
Poematum Geoi^i Covyate.'* 2. ** Descriptio Anglise,
1 Dupin. — Moreri.<i— lUfcoe'i Leo.— Ginguene Hist. Litt d'lta1ie.*^Gres-
welPs PolUiaiias.
2SB 6 O ft Y A T E.
Scotis, et Ribethiie^'Nvritte^n in LatiAt^se^ ftftddedieftted
to queen Eiiial^th, but it does not fippear thM this piece
was ever printed. In 1763, James LumleyKingstony esq.
of Dorchester, published, from a MSw found amongst the
))apers -belonging t^ a considerable family in one of the
western counties, a Latin poem, which appears tb have
been written in the reign of queen Elizabeth, entitled
** Descriptio AngliaB et Descriptio Londini/' being tw<>
poems in Latin verse, supposed to be written in the
fifteenth century. This pamphlet Mr. Oough thinks' may
be part of the poem noticed by Mr. Wood. The mention
of only fifteen colleges at Oxford, fixes the date of the
verges before the year 1371. Mr. Coryate's wife5 Gertrude,
outlived her husband and son many years,- and resided at
Odcombe or near it until her death. Dr. Humphry Hody,
a native of that place, informed Mr. Wood, that shei was
buried near the remains of her husband on the 3d of Aprils
1645. It appears that after her husband*s deatib Ishe tnar«
ried a second time. *
CORYATE (Thomas), the eccentric son df (he pre*
ceding, was born at Odcombe, itt 1477. > He wad first edu«^
cated at Westminster-school j and became a oomitioner of
Gloucester-hall, Oxford, in 15^6 ; where continuing about
three years, he attained, by mere dint of memory^ somie
skill in logic, and more in the Greek and Latin languages.
After he had been taken home for a time, he went to Lon-^
don, and was received into the family of Heni'y prince of
Wales^ either as a domestic, or, according to some^ as a
fool, an office which in former days was filled by a person
iiir^d for the purpose. In this situation h« was expoiied to
ihe wits of the court, who, finding in him a strange mix*
ture of sense and folly, made him thei^ whetstone ; and so^
says Wood, he became too much known to all the world.
In 1608, he took a journey to France, Italy, Germany, &c.
which lasted five months, during wMcb be had tmvelled
1975 miles, mote than half upon one pair of $h06S> which
were once only mended, and on his return were hang up
in the church of Odcombe. He pubtifched his trav^s under
this title ; ^^ Crudities hastily gobbled up in five ilionthi
travels in France, Savoy, Italy^ Rhetia^ Helvetia^ some
parts of High Germany, and the Netheriands^ 1611,** 4tOy
reprinted in 1776, 3 vols. 8vo. This work was ush^ed
•
> AUi. Ox, vol, I.—- Bio(. Brit.— 4i}oii|ph's Topography, yol. I.
G O R T A T B. 687
iolo tbe world bj an Odcombian baiique^ coDststihg- bf
Bear 60. copies of verses, made by. the best .p^etsi of that
timey whicli, if -tbey did not make Coryate pass witb tbe
world for. a man of great parts and learning, contributed
not a little^to tbe sale of his book ^.. Among these poetA
were Ben Jonson, sitf John Harrington^. Inigo Jones the
architect, Chapman, Donne, Drayton^ &c. In the samd
year he pubitsfaed. <' Coryate's Cratnbe, or. his Colwort
twice sodden, and now. served in with other Macarosiie
dishes, as the second coarset of his Crudities," 4to. In
1612^ after he had taken leave of his countrymen, by an
oration spoken at the cross in Odcombe, he took a long
^nd large journey, with intention not to return till he had
spent ten years in travelling. The first place he wetit to
was Constantinaple, where he made his usual desultory
observations ; and took from thence opportunities of view<4
ing divers, parts of Greece. In the .Hellespont, he- took
ttotice o£ the tiro eastles Sestos sand Abydes, which Mu*'
ssBUs has made famous in his poem of Hero and Leaildeo.
He sdw Sm3nrna^ ftom whence he found a passage to Alex-
andria in Egypt; and there he observed the pyramida neai?
Grand Cai^o. From thence he went to Jerusalem ; and S9
on to the Dead. Sea, to Aleppo in Syrian to Babylon ih*
Chaldea, to the kingdom of Persia, and to Ispahan, wheref
. • •••':...••,'
* These verses were reprinted in exceed that price whereat men in these,
the saOhe veaf (161 1), detached frbni Witty dAyes Value such fittiff6 h% thAt ;
Ike OMi^Kies, l^ith this title: <KTIie ktid, ^atil^v for thfet ose .
namber -«f N<iUe WU>; in praise of . • 1?'"!It'". • .L •- >;
portans My&teria ;''> and witb a prose V Haviiig read the. booke witbi an,
Adveitiseme'nt at th^ Vi6^cla$loD, of Ihtfetit ko 6pftoi&i2e it, <i6utd he but
♦faiiih the felfel«KiDt ii A triitaMri|^t).tnd hUTemetted Ottt bf Uie «rhbie Hiflftjie mi
may s^e ts; « ^leoiaiei^ ef <Cor|ete'» much matter woirthy the rfadhig- as^
style : would have filled foure pages : out,
" KoVeHfit'oeive^f, Ice. - - - iibdin^ his labour h)ft| end his hbpe
'< Kq0w, gentle Reader* 'that the therein f alien: shof^ is resolved lo do'i
booke> in prayse whereof all. these, lier it till the author of the "Crudities*'
l^rec^ding verses Were Wlritt^n, ' is pur- haV6 flili^ell his ^tfcond tiraveis \ which;
pmely ^iiitted fef thine and thy put^s beix% int^e^ Idc % place Atfre adtei
|^ood$ partly iiv the' Matoess of the ^ ^e^ote, is liHely to psoduce a. hookey
volume, containing 654 pages, each of a ^arre greater bulk : bp^h whicl^
]^^ ^ 1iue8> ea<^ litie 48 Mttet-s^ feeing drawee itito en e^ac^ ebmpend,
besidei papeg jneksi. poems; epi>tlet« |if Munstet, Bareniiist U^ ^agde*^
prefaces, letters^ orations, fragments,, burgiatis, and other famous chronoio-^
po^thomes, ^ilh' th6 coitinlast colotis; g6tfe, hav'e b^evfe, may, perhaps, af-
iidl -pAtols, and ofliler tjhttfgi faiteUMe ford eomething either .#ociby thy iMtdy
appertaiaiog ; wMch being printed of ing, or supply thy need in such oases
a character legible without spectacles of extremitle, as" nature aud custome
vottM hare taused the booke much to elttiitaei iiMforce men n«to» V^kis.*^ \
588 G O R Y A T £•
the king usually resided ; to Seras, anciently called Sbut^
sban; to Candabor, the first province north-e^st under
the subjection of the great mo^ul, and so to Lahore, the
chief city but one belonging to that empire. . From La<^
hore he went to Agra ; where, being well received by the
English factory, he made a halt He staid here. till her
bad^ learned the Turkish and . Morisco^ or Arabian . laa*^
guages, in which study he was always very. apt, and^^onia
knowledge in the Persian and Indostan tongues, all whicH.
were of great use to him in travelling up and down tbe^
great moguPs dominions. In the Pendan.. tongue he after-
wards made an oration to the great mogul ; and in the Iq-^.
dostan.. he had so great a command, that we are gravely
told he actually silenced a laundry-woman, belonging to-
thcfoiglish ambassador in that country,, who .used to-sccdd^
all the day long. After he bad visited aeveral places iii*
tlukt part of the world, he went to Surat in East-India^,
where he was seized with a diarrhoea, of which be died -m.
. This strange man, it is evident,Hbad an insatiable desire;
tot view distant and unknown parts of ^e worlds wjbieh lias>
never been reckoned a symptom of folly : nor indeed w.oukt
Coryate have been so. much despised if he bad not xl^-^
luckily fallen into the hands.of wits^ who, by way of divert-^.
ing^ themselves, imposed on his weakness and extreme;
vauity^ and nothing vexed him more than to. have this vanity,
checked. Thus when 090 Steel, a merchant, and servant;,
to the Eaat-India company, came to sir Thomas I(oe» .the;
English ambassador at Mandoa, where the nfogui then,
resided, he told Coryate, that be bad been in Englapd
siQce be saw him, attd^hat king James had inquired abQut
bim; and that upon telling . his majesty, that be had naet^
bim in his travels, the king replied|, ** Is that fool living ?** :
Our traveller was equally hurt at another time^ .wben,^.pon
his departure from Mandoa, sir Thomas Roe- gav^him a
letter, and in that a bill to receive lOl* at ^Aleppo.. Tb0
letter w[a8 directed to Mr. Chi^pman, consul there ^It tbi^
time; and the passage which concerned Coryate, w^ thi^ :'.
*' Mr. Chapman, when you shall baud these Jettem^, I destr^ :
you to receive the bearer of them, Mr. Tbpmas Croryate^: -
with cour.tesie, for. you sbaU find bim a vpry bonest poqr. .
wretchi'V^?- This expression troubled Coryate. extieiiielj».w^
and therefore it was altered to his mind. He was very
jealous of bis reputa;cion'itbr9ad; for b:e gavel out, that
CORY JtTE.
Aem were gfeat expectances in England of dm large ac^
counts he should giye of bis travels after his return bpine. ,
- What b^atne of the notes and observations he made i^
b|$iot)g peregrinations, is unknown. The following only,
which he sent to his friends in England, were printed in^;
hit absence :!.''' Letters from Asmere, the court of the
great mogul, to several persons of quality in England, con-
cerning the emperor and his country of East*India,'' 1616,'
'ito, *in the title of which is our author's picture, riding
an an elephant. 2. '* A Letter to his mother Gertrude,
dated from Agra in East India, containing the speech that
he spoken the great mogul in the Persian language.**
3w « Certain Observations from the moguPs court and East
India.*' 4. '' Travels to, and observations in, Constantinople
and other places in the way thither, and in his journey tbenc<*t
•to Aleppo, Damascus, and Jerusalem." 5. ** His oration,
JPurus, Putus Cory^tus; quintessence of Cory ate; spoken
extempore, when Mr. Rugg dubbed him a knight on the
ruins of Troy, by the name of Thomas Coryate the first
lEngtisfa knight of Troy.** 6, << Observations of Constan-
tinople abridged." All these are to be found in the <' PU-f
grimages" of Sam Porchas. 7. <^ Diverse Latin and Greek
epistles to learned men beyond die seaa ;" some of whicb
are in bis ** Crudities."— *Among bis perseeotors was Tay-
lor tbe Water-poet, vrho -frequently endtavoiirs to raise il
laiigb at bis expence. To Coryate*a works may bemadded
a copy of verses, in tbe -Somersetshire dialect, printed in
G^dott^s ^^ G^rfleetion of Treatises on- the Satb Watert,'* -
170*, «V»;»
GOSIN (JoSK),an Engl^sb prelifte, was the son of Giles
Ooain, a ricbeilieen of Norwich^ aild bora in- that city '^
Nov^ 30,*id94w He<.wasreducat€^ in the fr£e->scbo6l there, -
till 14 years of age; and then, reiiioted tjo Cains college iii -
Ca!iiy»ndge> of ^bieh he was siieee$sively scholiir-and- fci^* ^
IfiiWi Being at lengtb^dtstioguished (ot- bis nigetnikjrand ^
lentiUng, be bad» in I-SIC^ an offer of a librarian Vplac^
£som^ (>v9m\\ bisbop-of LicWield and ^oi^eoiry^- atfd*^ An^ '^
dnawft bithup of Ely, ussd <«iecepted* the nrnditioir-df ^At-
i^rmet^ who dyii^tn i&t9^ be>b«eaiiiie domestic ebaplaiH *
to Neil biibop^of Dartiami H# w«s «ad6 %• pt^^eifdary 6f T
Dwvfa|t^4a lSg4(|< amd the y^air-f<dl<lwkigf eoilated-to the '
a<e^eati4nry ;^eft <!& Wt^ tridiaf' In 4be ^sbttrcbn^f iWk,^ '
V9L.X. U
' \
ltH> C O S I N.
vacant by tlie resignation'of Marmadake Blakestone, wlioae
daughter he had mamed that year. July 1626, Neil pre-
sented him to the rich rectory rtt' Branspetb, in the diocese
of Dorham ; the •parochial church of which he beautified ifti
ah e)(traordmarjr dianner.' About that* timei halting fre-*
qiifent tneetirtg^'^t the bishop of Durhara's h'oUse in Lon-
don, wTth Uaiid artd tyther divines of- that party, he began
to be obnoxious to the puritans, Who suspected him to be
popisbiy affect^jd'; grounding their suspicion on his ** Gul-
iectioii of Private Dfevotiofvs," published in 1627. This
cdllectiorf, &6<*ording to bne*of his biographers> was dra\^n
upattliecomtnand of* Charles I. for the uire of'^those pro-
testants whbatterided upon the queen ; and, by way of
j^reserving'tbeih. from the taint of certain popish books of
devotion, snppoyed to* be thrown, on purpose, slbout the
royal apartments. Cdiierj however, says-thats it was writ>
ten at, the request of the countes^of Denbigh, the duke of
Buckingham's sisterJ This lady being then somewhat ^n«t
settled in her religion, aiiU ineliniflg towards^popery, these
devotions were drawn up to recommend the Church of
England fairther to her esteem, and preserve her in that
<^ommurlton. This book, though- furntshed with- a great
deal of' good tnatter, was not altogether acceptable in th^
cOjitexture ; although the title*page sets forth, that tt was
fermfed upon the model, of a book of private Prayers, an*
thorized by queen Elizabeth, in 1560. The top oif the
firoutispiece liad the name of Jesus in thre^ capital letters,
I. H. 8. Upon these there was a cross^ encircled with the
sun supported by two angels, with two devbttt- women
praying towards it. Burton, Prynne, and other celebrated
puritans^ attacked it very severely ) and there is no doubt
but it greatly contribnted to draw upon him all that perse«
cutioii which his afterwards underwent
Aboui^ 1628 be took the degree of D. D. and the same
year was concerned, with his brethren of the church of
Durham,, in a proseeution against Peter Smact, a preben*
dary there, for a sieditious sermon preached in that cathe*
dral, upon Psalm xxti* 7. ^* I hate them that bold ofsu*-
perstitious vanities*'^ Smart was' degraded, and dispos-
i^^di^f his f>referaients ; "but, as we shall peroeiv^, aiter-^
Viircls amply revenged of: Cosinfor his share in ehe proses
9iition..' Ill 1634 COsin \!m» etected master of. Petorboose
in Cambridge; and in 1640 made dean 9f Peterborough
by /}barles f. whose chapTatn he thea was;' but on Nov, 19,
C O S 1 N* -29:1
tliree days aft^ his^nsttHatibiitfito tbatdeanrj^ a petition
from Peter'Sttiart agaitist fatm was read in tiie hoii9e;of
txMniAons ; wherein etMnpIttint^ was made of his strperstitton,
innofations^ in the church-' of Durham, and severe prose*'
cQtion of himself • in the . high-commbsion^-court. Th»
ended in his beings; Jani 22, 1642, sequestered by a vote
of the whole house from his ecclesiastical benefices > and
be is remarkable for having been the first clergyman in
those times who was treated in that manner. March 15th
ensuing, the commons sent twenty«-one articles of impeach-
ment against him to th^ house of lords, tending to prove
him popisfaly affected ; and about the same- time he was
put under restraint, upon a surmise that he had endced a
young scholar to popery : of all which charges he fully
cleared himself, and was indeed aeqmtted ; bat in those
days of tyrannical oppression, this availed, him little, nor
was any recompense made him for' his expenoes. in h642,
being" concern^ with others in sending the plate. of the*
university of Cambridge'tothe k)hg, who was then at York,
lie was ejected from his mastership of Peter-house ; so that^
as be was the first who was sequestered from his ecclesias-
tical benefices, he was also the fiist that was displaced in
the nnivevsity. I'hus deprivedof all his preferments, and
not withoc^ fearo of something worse, he resolved to leave
the kingdom, and retire to Paris ; which accordingly be
did in 1543.
Here, by the king's order, he officiated as chaplain to
such of the queen's household as were protestanti; and
with them, and other exiles daily resorting thither, he
formed a congregation, which was held first in a private
house, and afterwards at the English ambaasador's chapel.
Not long after, he had lodgings assigned him in the Louvre,
with a small pension, on account of his relation to queen
Henrietta. During his residence in this place, he conti-
nlied firm in the protestaut religion ; reclaimed some who
had gone over to popery, and confirmed. others who were
wavering about going; had disputes and. controversies with
Jesuins and fiomish priests, and about the same time em«
ployed himself in writing several learned pieces against
tbem* One accident befel him abroad, which he often
spoke of as the most, sensible affliction in his whole life;
and that:wias, his only son's turning papist . This son was
odiiGated^ingramanur leamisg in a Jesuit's school, as were
mauty iotiiecs^iof: oar.ytcmihs. duriogvthe civil war ;> and oc«
W2 COS IN,
casion wais. thence taken of iiivtfgliii'g him into papety.
He tras prevailed upon, net only to embrace popery, but
9lfa4ie take religious orders in the cbnrch of Roflac<: and
though his father uined' all the ^ays imagtnaUe, and even
the authority of the Freneh king, which by interest he had
procured, to regain him out of their power, and fron theic
persuasion, yet aH proved ineffactoat.' Upon this be dis-*
inherited him, 'altowii^>him only^n annnity of 100/. He
Eretehded indeed to tnrn protestant again^ but relapsed
efore his iather*s deceaae. -
At the teston^ion of' Charles H. Cosintetttmed to Eog«
land, and took possession of aH his pt^ferments, and be«
fore the year was out, was raised :tO- the see of ''Dnrbaou
As soon as he could get down to his diocese, he set about
reforming abuses there dtiring the late ana^hyfiaiid.dis*
tinguished himself by his charity and public spirit. :He
laid out a great share of his large revenues in^repaktng; or
rebufidiog die several edifices- belonging to the bishopoc
of Duriiam, which had either been demoUshed, or negv
lected, during the civil wars. He repaired the cai^e ai:
.Bisfaop^s AukTand, the chief country-seat of the bishops of
Durham ; that at Durham, which he gready enlarged.;
and the bishop's house at Darlington;' dien very ruinous.
He also enriched bis- new chapel et Aukland, and diat at:
Durham, witir several pieces of gilt plate, books^; and
odier costly ornaments ; the charge of all which buildingsy
repahrs, aii^ ornaments, amounted, according to Dr. Smith,
to hear 1 6,000/. but,^ as others say, to no less than '^Q&oi.
He likewise huilt and endowed two hospitals ; tbe one at
Durham for eight poor people, the othm* at Aiddand.fiir
four; The annual revenue of the former vra» 702.' that of
the latter 30/.; and near his bospitlil at DuTham, he re-
built the schooUfaouses, which cost about 300/» He aIsq
built a library near the castle of Durham, the charge
whereof, with the pictures with which he adorned it,
amounted to S00/» and gave books thereto to the Talue Of
206oL as also an annual pension of 20 marks foir. ever to:a
librarian. But his generosity in this way waa not confined
within the precincts of his diocese. He rebuilt the as^t
end of the chapel at Peter-house in Cambridge, whkih
cost 320/L and gave books to the library of that college to
the value of 1000/. He founded eight soholarships hi tJse
same university: namely, five in Peser*hottsev dS 102».a
year each -, and three in Caius cdl^e, dL2a/n<Mea apiece
per^ annum : both which, together laith a provision of 8/.
f
do S I-Nt 3ftS
yearly, to the coflnmon cbest of thos^ tir<v eoUeges respec-
tively, ainouniedta25bo/. . Wkhoutin^tioiiing tl)e whole
of his "benefactions^ we shall only- notice fiurther that Ihe
gave, in oroaments to the cathedral at. Dorham, 45/^;
tipOmthenew bttilding of the bishopV coort, eicchequery
and chancery 9 and towards erecting two sessions houses ia
Diirbam, 1000/.; to^vards the redemption of Christian cap«^
fives at Algiers, 5004; towards the relief of the- distressed
Ic^al party it) England, 800/.; for repairing the banks in
Howdenshire, 100 maiiu; towarda repairing St JPaul's ca*
tliedraMh London, 50& ' Inni-iviord, this generous bishop^
daring the eleyen years he sat* in the see of Durham, is
said to have sp^nt above 9000/. yearly in pious and charita^
bleiises*
He died, Jan. 15, 1672,. of > pectoral dropsy, in his
79th year, after having been tnnch afflicted with the jitone
for some tiole before ;. and his body was conveyed from his
house in Westminster to Bisbpp-a Aukland, where it was
buried in the cliapet belonging to the palace, under a tomb .
of black marble, with a plain inscription prepared by the
bishop 'in his life-^time. Besidea the son already men*
tioned, he had four daughters. By his will he bequeathed
considerable siims of money to charitable purposes : to be
distributed among the poor in several places, a sum
amounting to near 400/.; towards rebuilding St. Paulas
eadiedraly when it should be raised five yards from the /
ground, 100/.; to the cathedral at Norwich, whereof the
one h^ to be bestowed on a marble tablet, with an in-
scription in memory of Dr. John Overall, some time bishop
there, whose chaplain he had been, the rest for providing
some useful ornaments for the altar, 40/^; towards repair-
ing the south and north side of Peter-house chapel in Cam*
bridge, suitable to the east and west sides, already by
him perfected, 200/. ; towards the new building of a chapel
at Emanuel college in Cambridge,. 50/.; to the children of ^
Mr. John Hayward, late prebendary of Lichfield, as a
testimony of his gratitude to their deceased father, who in
JRs younger years placed him with his uncle bishop Over-
all, 20/. each ; to some of bis domestic servant 100 marks,
to some 50/. and to the rest half a year's wages, over and
vabove their last quarter's pay* In his will also, he made
a large and open declaration of his faith, and was particu-
larly explicit and emphatical in vindicating himself from
the imputation of popery : '< I do profess," says he, ^^ with
t94f CO SIN.
holy observation, and from *iny very heart, that I am now^
and ever have be^n from my youth, i<ogether free and
averse from the corruptions, and impertinent, new^faogled^
or papisiioal superstitions and doctrines, long since intro-
duced, contrary to the holy scripture, and the rules and
customs of the ancient fathers.^* In the third volume of
the . Clarendon State Papers, lately published, we hnd a
letter, written, in 1658, to the lord chancellor Hyde, by
Dr. Cosin, which affords a. farther proof that, notwithstand-
ing his superstition and his fondness for the pomp, of ex«
liieroal worship, be was steadily attached to the pro^staiit
religion, in this letter, speaking .of the qiij^n dowager
Henrietta and lord.Jermyn, he says, " Tliey hold it for a
mortal sin to give one penny towards the mainteqaiDce of
sUch heretics .'as Dr.. Cosin is," The accusattpn'of 'popery*
however, answered the purposes of his persfic^H/ora, aiid
his minute attention to the decorations and repairs .of
churches and cathedrals afforded some ground of suspicioii
^ven with those of more honest and candid tninci^.
Dr. Cosin wrote a great number of bopks^ from, all which
he has sufficiently confute the calumny of his being a
papist, or popishly affected. Besides his < '^ Collection of
Private Devotions," mentioned above, he published " A
Scbolastical History of the Canon of the Holy Scripture; or,
the cfertatn and indubitable books thereof, ai^ they are re--
ceived in the .Church of England," London, 1657, 4t6,
reprinted in 1672. This history, which is still in esteem,
i^deduced from the time of the Jewish church, to the year
1546, that is, the time when the council of Trent cor*
rupted, and made unwarrantable additions to, the anciei>t
Canon of the Holy Scriptures, and was written by the au-
thor during his exile at Paris. He dedicated it to Dr. M«
Wren, bishop of Ely, then a prisoner in the Tower. Dr.
P. Gunning had the care of the edition. — Since the bishop's
decease the following books and tracts of his have been
published : 1. ^^ A Letter to Dr. Collins, concerning the
Sabbath/' dated from Peterbouse, Jan. 24, 1635, printed
in the ^^ Bibliotheca Literaria," 1723, 4to; in which he
proves, that the keeping of our Sunday is immutable, as
being grounded upon divine instiuition and apostolical tra-
dition, which he confirms by several instances. 2. ^' A
Letter from our author to Mr. Cordel, dated Paris, Feb. 7,
1650," printed at the end of a pamphfbt entitled ^'The
Judgment of the Church of England, in the case of Lay-
) C 0 S ^ N. ^Pf
baptism^ and'^of Disscuters l^apM^/' a;3ecaB^ edition qyf
tvhich waa ..published in 171%, Syo. .3^ ^^ ^egni Anglise
Religio Catbolica, prisca,. cast^^ .de.foeicata ; ^ ppnibji^
Cbri&tianis mpnfrcfiis, grincipibus^.. ocfliuibus, ostensa
i^ono MDClf^JL*' i, e. A »bort scbeme ot.thi;. ^nci^nt^ aqj
?ttre docirioe and discipline o^^. the Cb^l^^pf . I^iglajig
Written at tbe request of sir Edward J^yde^a^^erwardseai^
of ClareadoOy and prioted at tbe en^ of Saiitb's Lif^ of
bishop C^sin. 4. " The Histpry of pQpi*h^Tra.usub$taij^y
tiation/' &.c, .written in Latin by the autbpr at Paris^ /toy
the use of aoixie of his couxitrymeu, wh^ were frequent Fy
attacked upon that poin^ by the papists.,. ]|: was publislif^d
by Dr. Durrell^ at London, 1675, 8vo, and tmnslated iuto
English in 1676, by Luke de Beaulieu, 8v,o. . There is.^^
secoud partiStill io manuscript.. 5. ^' The differences i4> th^
chief points of religion be(W(sen the Ilom.au, Catbolics 'dxy^
us of the Chyrch of England ^ tpgether with . the agree-
nientfi.w^ich we^ for purp^irts;, profe^s^ and arie ready tq
embracei vjfii they, for thjei:^'s,,.we,i,e. as ready tpaccpcd wltjU.
|ia in t^e;S^iAe. Writteu to,tpe countess of Peterborough/^
prioted a£,thQ end of , bishop Bull's ^^ Corrjupti^ns of t|i^
Church qf. Ilomer'' ^t "No.tps on tbe ]p^o^ pf CongimDj^l
Prayer." jPublisbed by Dr. William NicholU,.at. the ^^
of his Conunent on the Book of. Commou-Prayer, tond^
1710, fol..,;j7. /* Account of ,a Conferepce in P^ris, be-
tween Cyril, archbishop .of Trapezpnd^.^i^d Dr. John Cp.j
sin >' prioted in the same bpok. 8. " A, Letter froip Dr,
Cosin to bishop Moreton bis predecessor, giving an ac^
count of his studies and eoipioym^nt when a,n exile
abroad ;" and,^ ^* A MeoaQrial of hisi, against ivha{: .the Ho?
manists call the Great General Council of Lateral undef
Innocent IIL in 12 15,'V both published by Des JMaizeau:^
in vol. VL of " The Present State of the Republic of Letr
ters/V 1730* 9. "An Apology of Dr. John Cosin," in
answer to Fuller's misrepresentations of him in that aur
thorns Church History, priuted at the end of tbe first part
of Heylin's " Examen Historicum.'* The fQllpwing piece.s
were also written by bishop Cosin, but never printed ;
1. " An Answer to a Popish pamphlet pretending that
St. Cyprian was a Papist." 2. "An Answer to four queries
of a Rooian Catholic, about the Protestant Religion.'*
3. " An Answer to a paper delivered by a Popish biishop
to the lord Inchiquin. ' 4. "Annates Ecclesiastici," im-
perfect. 5. " An Answer to Father Robinson's Papers
congerning the validity of the Ordinations of the Chur9h
6{ EnglatiA.** 6: f< HistDria Gonciliorani/* imperfect
7. ^ Against the fenakeiis of cbe Cbarch of Engfaind, and
their seducers in this time of bet. tryal/* 8. ** Chronolo*
gia Sacra,^' imperfect* 9* *^ A Treatise concerning tbd
abuse of auricular cotkfession' in the Church' of Rome." — *
fiome few bf Dr. CosinV letters are extant among Dn
Birch's collections in the British Museiim.^ - - -■
COSM AS, of Alexandria in Egypt, called foiDOPLEOSTcs
or iNPicpPLEimtBS, on account of a Toyage which he made
to the Indies, was at firsts merchant^ afterwards a mook^
and author, and is supposed to have flourished about the
year 547. He wrote several things, particularly the
*^ Christian Topography,- or the opinion of Christmns con»
eerning the World, in 12 books ; stiM extant, andpublished
by MoBtfaucon in J 707, in the ^* Nova coHectio Patrum,'!
vol. II. Cosmiis perfbmied his Toyage in 522, and pub-^
Ijsbed his book at Alexandria in 547 : it cooftaiiis some
Very curious infommtion, but contrary to the sentiments of
all astronomers, he denies the earth to be sph^ieal, and
endmivours to prove his opinion from reason, scrtpture, and
Christian writers, who lived before^ him« As his testimony
to the authenticity of the scriptures^ ^however, is vteiy con-
siderable, Lardner has selected many passages from '<^The
Christian Topography,'' in his "Credibility."* •
COSME (John be St.), whose family name was Ba*
SElLCiAC, was a monk of the order of the Feuillans, in Paris,
and bom in 1703. He. was educated to the practice of
surgery ; but at his father's death, which happened wheri
he was young, he retired from the world, and becaoM a
inonk, yet went on improving himself in the art to which
he had been bred, and gave his assistance to all who «p»
plied without any reward. He had bestowed his jmncipal
attention on lithotomvi and the instrument with which h^
performed the operation he called liihotome €achSy a hoUow«
tube, in which was concealed a knife, with which he cut
through the prostate gland, into the bladder. His care
was to make the wound sufficiently large, to enable him to.
extract the stone easily, and without bruising the psMs.
To this, it is probable, his success, which was far superior.
1 Besire*s Funeral Sermon and Life, 1675, ISokx— life bj Smith Jn .« Vila
Xmditisiiiiionnn Virornm," 4to.— Bio|f. Brit..— Barwickl Life i see Index.-<-Hut-
chinsoii's Hist of Durham.
% Lardner's Works.— -CaTe, vol. I^*— Gibbon^ Histqy.TrRobensott*! nis(|iii«
aitionS'On anotent Indis.-»Sa«ii Onoittasticon. . . ^
ttrmy tt^ hi^ rmilr, nrast beattribiit^d. >Tbefame;bea€«
UpBtired drew ttpon faim tke envjr of tfae mrgeom of P^ris so
fcr, that they applied to* the king to iaterdiiet bis pi^Gtistngs
Not succeeding fn-tbis atteiiipt, Mons.'Le Cat pttbtish^
<< Lettre au siijet du Lithotome Cacb^ ftc. centre E.
G^me Dissert^'* 1749. Oosaoe^s dMsieitation^ describing
tbe operation, bad been pubtisbed the preoedihg year, m
the ♦* Jonmiil dtes 'Savam/' This pmdcided an' answer
from De Cosne; under tbe title of *< RecoeH des pieces
importantes sur«l*operation da ia Taille,'* 'I^ris, 175-i ; ift
vrbick he acknowledges some faiinres, < and that be bad host
one patient by b«aiorrhage; but chaitenges his adversaries
to predoee lists of soeGessfal cases equat to< his. In 4779,
be ' pobKsbed ** Nonvdle metbode d'extraire la Pierre,*^
Paris, • 1 2nio« After having for some 'time been director df
the'hiDspkal<rf Bayeux, he esmMisbed )an hospital in tbe
FeaiUant, where be practised gratis^ Itis tboagbt that in
the ctaarse of bis life be . bad' performed tbe operation for
the stone abo^e a thoiisfiind times. He died ^^uly 29, 1781)
most particaiarly lamented by the poor, towards indiom' he-
was equaily oompassionate and charitable. When any
father- of a* family offered him money,' 'he used to say;
*< Keep it; I nnfst not injure ybur children :" and often;
instead of accepting a fee from the opulent^ be would re^-
commend some poor object to be relieved by t^em.*
. COSSART (GABHtEL),* n learned Jesuit,' was boi^i ie
Pontoiae in 1615; and aitfer being- educated among the
Jesuits, taught rhetoric ^ Paris witH muth reputation for
Iteren years. He then joined with -fttber Labbe, who -bad
commenced his vast collection of the <^ Councils ;" and
Labbe dyittg<wfaen the eleventh volume was printing, Cos^
sart ledmpleted tbe whole in ^ 1672, in eighteen volumes;
Gossart also wrote some orations and poems, a collection
- of wbicb was published in 1675, and reprinted at Paris in
1723, 12mo. He wais thought one* of the best orators and
poets wbioh the society of Jesuits had produced. He died
^Parra, Sept, 18, 1674.!
COSTANZO (Angblodi), lord of Oantalupi>^ was borit
in 1507^ at Naples. In bis youtb he was :)oli^ited by San*
nazario and Poclerico to undertake the task of writing the
history of Naples, << Istoria del Regno di Napoli," &c.
published in a folio, printed at Aquila in 1581. On this
» Diet Hiit.«»Reci*i Cjclossdia. * Moreri.— >Dtct. Hbt
tH C 0>S T A N Z O-
be .be$tow0d 53. years pf . peraievQciog inTesUgsttiont TUb
first eduipD» scarce evei^ ia .l4^1y» .reacfaes^ fmxm the y€W
1260 to 1489s that i^, from tl^ dea^ of Fre(leric II. to tbe
war of Milan, under Ferdinau.d h, Costanzo enliveo/ed by
the c.ulture. of Latin po^U'y. tbe dryness of history, and
suQce^ded both in one and tbe.othen He is .said :to. have
improved the ari.^. wrilwg 9oai>ei^^ by gracea of bis own
invention. His Italian poetry W9^ pubiisbed ia 1 70.99^ i 72$^
1728^ &c. H^.died abput 159Q,'atf a very advanaed age*
4 second edition of bis history cSppeiHred atV;eaice, 1710«
4to ; and a third atso in 4to, atrlSIaples^ 1735,. with^ a life
of CoBstanzo by Bernardino Tafnci.^
CQSTAR (Peter), a bachelor of the Sorbontie, was
born 1603 at Paris, son of; a hatter* He bad neither the
laste, learning, nor m^rit, of. M. 4e Oirac, bn^ ^vas not
ignopint, aa that writer accuses him of bfing,.ia. his dis^
piate epon Voitnre.. ; M< du Ilueil, bishop pf Sayo^ne, and
afteriwards of Angers, wished to have Costai:- ajlways abonlt
bioi as a literary man, and gave faigi many benefioes. He
was eagerly received at the H6telide JUmbouiliet, and in
the best companies, notwithstanding, his afFtucted airs ; for
wbi^h reason it j was said, ^^ Ht wa». the most b.eauish pe-^
dant, and most pedantic beau, that ever was known.'' He
di^d JVlay 13, 1660. Besides bis works in defence of.Voi-!
ture, against M. de Girax:, there is aeoUeotion of bis Let^*
tersrinvS vols. 4to, containing much literary anecdote and
criticism, 'the latter rather in a frivpk>us taste, which is
likewi^e.visible in sonuei other of bfs pieces.'
. CQSTARD (GfioaGE), a learned clergyman of the
qhvircb pf England, was bocn at Shrewsbury about the year
1710. He was educated at Wadham-eollege, Oxford, of
which he was admitted a member in 1726, if not eariier;
and on^the 28th of June 1733,. took the degree pf master
of arts. He also became a tutor, and fellow of his coUege.;
and, indeoil, seems to have spent a great part of his life
there, though the fellows of Wadbam-college hold their
fellowships only for a limited number of years. The same
year in which he took the degree of M.A. be published, in
8vp, '^ Critical observations on some Psalms/* The first
ecclesiastical situation in which be was placed, was that of
curate of Islip in Oxfordshire. He afterwards became vicar
of Whitchurch^ in Dorsetshire, where he served two churcfaea
> Mpreri,— Diet. HUt.-^CIement Bibl, C^riease.. *. Moreru-<»Dici. Hiit«
COSTARD. BOa
far some years. Part of a letter written by him to' Mr. Jobn
Catlain, containing an account of a fiery meteor seen by
him in the atr, on tbe- 14^h of Jtily 1745, was read at' the
Royal Society on the 7ih of November in that year, and
publi^Iied in th^ Philosophical Transactions, No. 477. The
Ibltowing year he published at London, in Svo, <^ A Let^
ter to Martin Folkes, esq. president of the Royal Society,
eoncerning the rise and progress of Astronomy amongst the
Ancients,'' in which he endeavoured to pix>ve, that the Greeks
derived bojt a veryrsiiiall portion of their astronomical know-
ledge from the Egyptianso'r Babylonians ; and that though
the Egyptians ami Babylonians may be allowed, by their
observations of the heavens, to have laid the foundation of
astroBomy^ yet, as k>bg as it continued amongst theoi) it
cousi^ted of observatiotts only, and ^nothing more ; till Geo-
metry being improved by the Greeks, and themalone, into
a science^ and applied to the heavenis, they became the true
and proper jaui^bors of every thifig deserving the name of
astronomy.
In'1747, Mr. Costavd published, in 8vo, " Some obser-
vations tending to illustrate the book of Job; and in parti-^
cuifir the words, I kaow that my Redeemer livetfa^ &c.^'
To which wSkft anneKedj ^* The third chapter of Habakkuk,
parapbrast4eally tfrauslated into English verse," The same
year a ourious letter written by him to the Rev. Dr.* Shaw,
principal of St. Edmuud h^lij relative to the Chinese chrO-
oolc^y. a;nd astronomy, was read at 4he Royal Society, and
publishecl in the Pbilo^opbioal Transactions, No. 483. In
this letter he Ipok notice, that it had been the affectation
of some natiQns,^ and -particularly of the Babylonians and
Egyptians, to parry up their histories to so immoderate a
height^ as plainly to shew these accounts to be fictitious.
This also was the case with the Chinese ; and Mr. Costard
urged a variety of arguments to prove, that the mathema-
tical and astronomical kn<)wledge of the Chinese was in*
considerable, and that little dependance was to be placed
on the pretended antiquity of their history. The following
year he published, at Oxford, in 8vo, <^A farther account
of the rise and progress of Astronomy among the Ancients,
in three letters to Martin Folkes, esq.'' Of these, the first
treats of the astronomy of the Chaldeans ; the second is an
elaborate inquiry concerning the constellations spoken of
in.thebpok of Job ; and the fourth is on the mythological
astronomy of the ancients ; and in all be has displayed a
SOD COSTARD.
considerable extent both ef oriental sad of Grecian lit««
rature.
Hi8 next publicationi which a(>peared in 1750, in Siro,
was ** Two dissertations : L Containing an inquiry into the
meaning of the word Kesitah, mentioned in Job, ch. xlit»
ver. 1 1.'* attempting to prove, that though it most probably
there stands for the name of a coin, yet that there* is 'n<i
reason for supposing it stamped with any^fi^ureat ail; and*,
therefore, not with that of a iamb in parttcuhtr. II. ^* On the
signification of the word H«rmes; in whiebis explained
the origin of the ctistom, among the Greeks^ of erecting
stones called Hermae ; together vrhh some other particulifers^
delating to tbe mythc^oigy of that people.'* At the conclth-
sion, Mr. Costard observes, that tbe study of the oriental
languages seems to be gaining ground in Europe every
day ;- and provided tbe Greelc and Latin are equally culti^
iBated, we may arrive in a few years at a greater k^towledge
of the ancient worlds tban^ may be expected, or ^a^ be
imagined; and beadids, thatfor such researches few places,-
if any, in Europe are so well adapted as tbe university of
Oxford* : :
In 175.(3,. he published, in 8vo, at Oxford^ '* Disserta*
ttones It. > Critico<»SacraB, qnarum prima eacplieatur Eze^kv
mnu I8a Altera vero^ 2 Reg. x. 22/% The same year it
translation was published of tbe latter of these ^ssertationsy
under the following title : ^* A Disserution on -2 Kings x;
22^ trajbtlated from^ tbe Latin of Rabbi C ' ■ d (i; e. Cos-^
tard, with' a dedication, preface, and postscript, ^riticail
and explanatory, by the' translator/'. In the prelace and
dedication to. diis publidation, tbe -^ satiricail atthor has
pKiced Mr.. Costtfrd in a very ludicreus liglm On tbe 25tb
of January, in the year following, a letter written by Mr.
Costard, to Dr. Bevis,. concerning the year of the eclipse
foretold by Thales, was read afit the Royal- Society^ and #M
afterwards published in the Pfaiiosepbical Transactions, tA
was also another letter written. by him* to-thes«»me gentle^
man, concerning an eclipse meneioaed^by Xenopbom At
the close of the fsameyear, ^ifdtbei* letter writtet) by Mr,
Costard, and- addressed ta tkie earlof Maode^flekt, eon-
oeroing the age of Homer and Hesiod, was likei^is^ read
at the Royal Society, and afosrwards p«iblidied in thePbi-
I.osopbieal Transactions for the year r754, in wbi€h be fixes
the sge^of Homer aini Hesiod much lower than the ordi^*
nary computations. He endeavouir^ to make it appear, frod^
C'.OSTAHTD. ; 301
astfoiiadlical argumeat^. that Homer and Heaiod both pro**
bably lived about theyeac before Christ 580; which is three
centuries later than the computatiQii of sir Isaac Newtoo,
and mere than four later than that of.Petavius. Ib nS5,
he wrote a letter to Dr. Birch, which is preserved in the
British Museiuoiy respecting the meaning of the phrase
Sphseira Barbaticib ^ocne time after this, he undertook to
publish a second edition of Dr« Hyde's '^ Historia religio*
HIS veterum Persarum eorumque . Magorum ;" .and which
was accordingly pnQted> nnder bis inspection, and with hid
eorrectioof^ ^x tibie Clarendon press at Oxford, in- 410^ in
11 M4 Mr* Cp$tard*8 extensive learning having now re*
cooiaiended hitn to the notice of lord Chancellor Noicthiiig'*
M/Btn^ b# obtaiBedy by. the favour of that n(d>leman| in June
1764^ the vicarage af Twiclsenhaaiy t« Middlesex, in which
situation he contintifiijl till his death. « The same year be
publisbedt ia ^to, ^^ The U3e of Astronomy in history and
Qbroiw4og^f, •exemplified in an inquiry into the. fall of the
%im^ into the .JEgospotiUttiis» ^d to be foretold by Anaxa-*^
gQm ; ia whicb is attempted to be shewn^ that Anaxagoraa
did not foretell the fall of that stone, but the solar eclipse
ia tlurtoe year of the Peloponnesiao wan That what he
mn^was a conaiety at the time jof the battle of Salamb : and
^t thishMtle was probably fought the year before Christ
47ft; jor twov years later than it is com^ionly fixed by
dirondag^rs."
. In 1767, hepublidie^ inone volume 4tt^ ^< The History
qC Astroaomyy with ita application to geograpbyi bistpry^
and chronology ; occasicually jexempUfied by the globes,**
chiefly. inteudeld Ibr the use of students, and containing a
distinct view of the several improvements made in geon
grapby and astrenomy, at what time, and by whoo^ the
principal discoveries have been made in geography and
. astronomy,; bow each discovery has paved the way to what
jEpllQwed, and by what easy steps^ through the revolution <>£
sQ. maiiy ikges, these very useful sciences have advaiu:ed to«
wards their present state iif perfection. The following
yeilr he published, in 4to, *' Astronomical and philologicid
canjectures on a passage in Homer :^' but these conjectures
appear tabe fancuful and ill grounded. . About dais: time »
correspondence took place between the learned Jacob.Bry*
ant, esq. and Mr. Costard, concerning the land of Goshen,
which was afterwards published by Mt. Nichols, in his
MiscelUMous Tracts by Mr. Bowyer.** We do not find
(t
i02 COSTA R D.
that from this period our kuthor printed ahy work for norrng
years; but in 1778, he published, ih 8vo, "A Letter to
Nathaniel Brassey Halhed, esq. containing some remarks
on his Preface to the code of Getitoo laws/' This appears
tO' have been the last oJF his pubtitiatioiis ; and its object
was, to invalidate Mr. Halbed's opinion concerning the gi*eat
antiquity of the Gentoo laws, and to refute the notion
which had beien adopted by several writers, drawn from the
observation of natural pheenomena, tkihat the world is far
more ancient than it is- represented to be by the Hebrew
chronology. Mr. Costard died on the fOth ef January
1782, and was buried on the South side of Twickenham
church-yard, but without any monument -or inscription,
agreeably to his own desire *. He was a man of uncotn-^*-
moh learning, and eminently skilled iti Grecian and orien-
tal literature; but upon the whole dealt too much in con-
jectures, and appears to have been possessed of more eru-
dition than judgment. His private character wa& amiable,
and he was much respected in the neighbourhood in wbjich
he lived for his humanity* and benevolence. From- isdtne
passages in his writings, he appears to have been strotig;iy
attached to the interests of public freedom* He had a
^reat veneration for the ancient Greeks ; of whom he says,^
that *' *Ti8 to the happy genius of that once glorious people,-
and that people alone, that we- owe aH that can pro-
perly be styled astronomy." And in another place, h&
says of' the Greeks, that "their public spirit and love of
liberty claim both our admiration and imitation. How far
£be sciences suffer where oppression, superstition, andar^'
bitrary power prevail, that once glorious nation aflbrds at
this day too melancholy a proof.*' Mr. Costard's library,'
drientat ntanuscripts, and philosophical instruments, were*
sold by auction by Mr. Samuel Paterson, in March, 17^. *
COSTE (HiLLARio DE), a Minime friar, eminent for bis
writings and his piety, was born September 6j 1595, at'
Paris, of a noble family, originally of Dauphiny. He died at- .
* So says the author of a life of Mr. topan, not to the ^r»ifta<le of a. nation •
Costard, which accompanies bis per- whose literary character he had contri'*
tirait in the Geut. Mag. vol. LXXV. 'buied to exatt, but to the priTateoha^
B»t «Doardio|: to nn account very ieel* ^rity of a few buivJik iodivi^iiatit; .who^.
ingly given in the Month. Rev. vol. . while they wept over the ashes of their
EXXVI. p. 419, It appears that he pastor, knew not the Variety of his ta-*
ilied so poor at 4 to ** indebted, eVeu l^le» or the- extent of 'hit- acquive* r
for the last tad duties tlfatrnfin Of et a)entt.r
( Bio^. ^rit.— I^^idiols's Bowyer.»--Ir4MMide% TwickenhaiQ, and <3ent. Magi
L^ICXV. with'' a characteristic portrait. -*Iu the Phil. Trans, ace some papers not
enumerated above.
C O S T E. 30J
Paris Aoigust 21, 1661 9 aged 66, leaving several works,
full of carious and interesting particulars, but written with^
out any regard to the rules of criticism. The principal
are : l. '^ Hist. Catholique, ou sont ecrites toutes les vies, faits,
&c. des hommes et dames iliustres, du 16emeet I7eme
siecle,'^ 1625, fol. 2. ^^ La Vie de Jeanne de France, fonda-
trice des Annonciades.'* S. ^^ Les eloges et les vies des reines,
des princesses, et dames iliustres,'* 1647, 2 vol. 4to. 4.
V Les etoges de nos rois et des enfans de France qui ont
tok Dauphins,'* 1643, 4to. $. << Vie du pere Marin Mer-
sene,'' 1649, 8vo. 6. ^ Le portarait en petit de St. Fran*
fbisdePauV 1655, 4to. 7. <^ Le parfait E^eclesiastique,
ou la vie de Francois le Picart, docteur de Paris, avec les
■eloges de 40 autres docCeurs de la Facutt6,'' 1658, 8vo.
This last work is the most sought after, and the most
curious.' *
C08TE (PfiTEii), was a native of Uzez, who fled to
England on- accomit of religion in the time of queen Anne,
and' after residing man}"" years* in 'London, where he was
employed in literary purstiits, returned to Paris some time
before his death/ which, happened in 1746. Hi9 principal
works were : 1. Translations into French of Locke's Essay
on human understanding, Amsterdam, 1736, 4to, and Tre»
V0U7C, 4 vols. 12mo; of Newton's Optics, 4to, and of the
fteasonahleness of Christianity, by Locke, 2 vols. 8vo. 2. An
edition of Montaigne's Essays, 3 vols. 4to, and 10 vols.
l2mo,. with remarks and annotations. 3. An edition of
Fontairi^'s Fables, 12mQ> with cursory notes at the bottom
of the pages. He ventured to add a fable of his own, which
served to prove that it was far more easy to comment on
Fontaine than to imitate him* 4. The defence of la Bruy-
era, against the Catthusian d'Argonne, who assumed the
name^of Vigneui MarviUe : which is prefixed to O^ell^s
English' tmnslatoon of •Bl'uyisre^s works, 1713, 2 vols. 8vo,
5. TheJtfe of tfaev Grand Cond6, 4to and 12mo. Coste,
as an editor, was often tediously minute, and, as an original
author, not above mediocrity ; but he bestowed great at-
tention on whatever he did. He was an excellent coi*^
rector of the press, thoroughly versed in his own language,
well acquainted with the foreign tongues, and had a ge-
neral knowledge of the' sciencei$» In this country be must
)>ave been highly respected, as, although he died in France,
» Moreci.— Nfcmn, rblXVU.
304 C O S T E.
a moBUmeni was erected to his memory in the old church
of Pgddingtotii in which parish he probably veriided. This
monument is now in a light vault under the present church ^
COSTER (Lawrekce), or Laurensz Jansz Koster, an
inhabitant of Haerlem, who died about 1440, has acquired
a name in the annals of printing, as the Dutch affirm hia>
to be the inventor of that art about the year 1430, but this
claim has been obstinately disputed. It is objected that it was
not till 130 years after the first exercise of this art at Ment?,
that the town of Haerlem formed any pretence to the honout
of this, invention ; and that, to the known and certain facts^
to the striking and incontestable proofs of its belonging to
Mentz, the men of Haerlem oppose nothing but obscure
traditions and conjectures,, and not one typographical pro<*
duction that can in any way shew the merit of it to belong
to Coster. All that such objectors allow to Haerlem, is thd
cireumstatice of being one of the first towns that practiseci
the art of cutting in wood^ which led by degrees to th^
idea of printing a book, first in wooden blocks engraved^
then in moveable characters pf wood, and lastly in fusile
types. But it still remains to be proved, that this idea was
conceived and executed at Haerlem ; wherens it .is demons
strated that Gutemberg printed, first at Strasburg* aud after<«
wards at Mentz, in moveable characters of wood^ and that
the fusile types were invented at Mentz by Schceffiert.
The learned Meerman^ counsellor and pensionary o^ Rot'^
terdam, zealous for .the honour of bis country, supported
the cause of Haerlem with all the sagacity and all the eru**
dition that could be exerted, in a work entitled ** Qri««
gines Typographies,^* printed at the Hagqe ia 1765, 2 vain*.
4 to, and of which an abridgment may be aeon in fiowyer
and Nicholses ^^ Origin of Printing/* The question is .too
complicated for discussion ia.thisplaae : we.shaU therefore
only add the tradition respectieg Cos|er!s invention. . ft is
said that walking in a wood near Haerlem^ be :amused hiaim
self by cutting letters upon the back «f a tree^ which he.
impressed upon paper* Improving this ioeident, he pio^
ceeded to cut single letters upon wood, and uniting them
by, means of thread, he primed a line or two for his chil^
dren. It is added, that be afterwards printed a book, enw
titled, '^ Speculum salvationis." Baron Heinecken, who
1 Diet tiitt.— Lyions's Environt, vol. IK.—^ee i •'ne particuUn of him in the"
notes to Uie life of Locke, .in t)ie .Biog, Briu .
COST E R. .30?
has minutely investigated the whole story, considers it ap
not entitled to the least credit.; and pronounces the prints^
attributed to Coster^ to be the worVs of a later date. V , ■»
COSTES. See CALPRENEDE.
COTELERIUS (John Baptist), B.D, pf Sorbonn^
and king's Greek professor, was. born at Nismes,. in Lanr
guedoc, in 1627. He made an extraordipary proficiency
in the languages under his father, when very young : for
being, at twelve years only, brought into the haii of the
general assembly of the French clergy held at Mante in
1641, he construed the New Testament in Greek, and the
Old in Hebrew, at the first opening of the book. He un-
folded, at the same time, several difficulties proposed ia
regard to the peculiar construction of the Hebrew lan-
guage ; and explained also the text from the customs prac-
tised among the Jews. ' After this, he. demonstrated cerr
tain mathematical propositions, in explaining Euclid's de^
finitions. This made him looked upon as a prodigy of ger
nius ;' and his reputation rose as he advanced in life. In
1643 he took the degree of M. A. ; ;B. D. in 1647 ; and was
elected a fellow; of the Sorbqnne in 1649. In 1651 he lost
his father, who died at Paris, whither he had come to reside
with his children in 1638 ; and he lamented him much, as
a parent who had taken the greatest pains in. bis education*
This appears from a Jetter of Cotelerius to his father, in
which he' says, '^ j piust necessarily be obedient in every
respect to you, to whom, besides innumerable benefits and
favours, I owe not only my life, but also the means of
living well and happily, those seeds of virtue and learning
which you have been careful to plant in me from my in-
fancy. Now, if Ale^^ander of Macedon could Own himself
so much indebted tp his father Philip for begetting him,
and so much more to Aristotle for forming apd educating
him, what ought not I -to acknowledge myself indebted
io you, who have been both a Philip and an Ariatptle
tome?'* '
In 1654, when the archbishop of Embruh jre'tired into
hi^ diocese, he took Cotelerius along with him, as one. who
would be an agreeable companion in^ his solituije/ and with
hini^he remained four years; but afteirwards, when he re-
turned to Paris^ complained heavily of the want of books
* Bowser and Nichols's Origin of Printing.— History of Printing in the Eocy-
•lopadiA Britwuiica — Strttt^ ^ngrwv^rs.— Frelieri Tb«aHtiU.-*Fi>ppeiii 'BibL
Belg. — Saxii Onomast.
Vot. X. X
SOB COTELERIUS.
and eonyersation with learned men in that retreat. He da^
elined going into orders, and spent bis time wholly in ec-
clesiastieal antiquity. The Greek fathers were his chief
study, whose works he read, both in print and manuscript,
with' great exactness ; made notes upon them, and trans-
lated some of them into Latin. In 1660 he published
^< Four homilies of St. Chrysostom upon the Psalms/' and
his ^* Commentary upon Daniel," with a Latin translation
Endnotes. He then commenced his 'VCollection of those
Fathers who lived in the apostolic age ;'' which he published
in two vols, folio, at Paris, 1672, reviewed and corrected
from several manuscripts, with a Latin translation and notes*
The editor's notes, which are learned a^d curious, explain
the difficulties in the Greek terms, clear up several histo<*
rical passages, and set matters of doctrine and discipline in
a perspicuous light. He would have published this work
some years sooner, but was interrupted by beiing ap-
pointed, with Du Cange, to review the MSS. in the king's
library. This task he entered upon by Colbert's order in
1667, and it occupied his time for five years.
In 1676 he was made Greek professor in the royal zoa*
demy at Paris^ which post he maintained during his life
with the highest reputation. He had the year before pro-
duced the first volume of a work entitled '* Monumenta
EcclesisB Grsecae," a collection of Greek tracts out of the
king's and Colbert's libraries, never published before. He
added a Latin translation and notes ; which, though not so
large as those upon the ^' Patres Apostolici," are said to be
very curious. The first volume was printed in 1675, the
second in 1681, and the third in 1686 ; and he intended to
have added others, if he had lived. His age was not great,
but his constitution was broken with intense study : for he
took vast pains in his learned performances, writing all the
Greek text and the version on the side with his own hand,
and msing the greatest care and exactness in all his quota-
tioiis. Aug. 3, 1686, he was seized with an inflammatory
disorder in his breast, which required him to be let blood :
but he had such a dislike to this operation, that, sooner
than undergo it, he dissembled his illness. At last, how-
ever, he consented ; but it was too late ; for he died the
10th of the same months when he was not 60 years of age,
leaving nine folio volumes of MSS. now in the Imperial
library, consisting of extracts from the fathers, &c« with
notes.
C O T E L E R I U S. Sot
Besides his great skill in the languages, and in ecclesias<^
tical antiquity, he was remarkable for his probity and can-
dour. He was modest and unpretending, without the least
tincture of stiffness and pride. He lived particularly re-"
tired, made and received few visits ; and thus, having but
little acquaintance, he appeared somewhat melancholy and
reserved, but was in reality of a frank,/ conversable, and
friendly temper. *
COTES (Francis), an English artist, was one of the
founders of the Royal Academy, he and three others (Mo<^
ser. West, and Chambers) being the only persons who
aigned the petition presented to his Majesty, to solicit that
establishment. He was the son of an apothecary, who re-
sided,in Cork-street, Burlington^-gardeirs. and was bom in
1726. He was the pupil of Knapton, out in the sequel
much excelled his master. He was particularly enEtment
for his portraits in crayons, in which branch of the art he
surpassed all his predecessors ; though it must be confessed
that he owed something of his excellence to the study of
the portraits of Rosalba. He also painted with considerable
' ability in oil colours ; and at one time Hogarth declared
him to be superior to sir Joshua Reynolds; an opinion,
however, which must have arisen from some prejudice, for
sir Joshua had then produced some of his best portraits*
But though those of Cotes deserve not this high character^
they were very pleasing, well finished, coloured with great
spirit, and, by the aid of Mr. Toms's draperies (who gene«
rally supplied him with these), were justly ranked with the
best portraits of the time. Yet his greatest excellence was
in crayons, which were much improved under his hands,
both in their preparsition and application. Lord Orford
says, that his pictures of the queen holding the princess
royaJ, then an infant, in her lap ; of his own wife ; of Polly
Jones, a woman of pleasure ; of Mr. Obryen, the come-
dian ; of Mrs. Child, of Osterley-park ; and of Miss Wil-*
ton, afterwards lady Chambers; are portraits which, if
they yield to Rosalba's in softness, excel hers in vivacity
and invention.
Mr. Cotes was, very early in life, afflicted with the
stone ; and before he attained the age of forty-five, fell a
victim to that disease. He died at his house in Cavendish*
square, July 20, 1770, and was buried at Richmond, Sur-*
* Moreri. — ^Diot. Hist — Life by Baliue^ pnfiMd to tb« tditioB of the Patrei
Apoftolici, 1724»«-»Suii OnomasttceiK
X2
308 COTES.
rej. His younger brother, Samuel Cotes, painted minia-
tures, both in enamel and water-colours, and was in great
practice during the life of the elder, but quitted the art
some years ago. ^
COT£S (Roger}, a celebrated mathematician, philo-^
sopher, and astronomer, was born July 10, 1682, at Bur-
bach in Leicestershire, where his father Robert was rec-
tor. He was first placed at Leicester school ; where, at
only twelve years of age, he discovered a strong inclina-
tion to the mathematics. This being observed by his
^ncle, the rev. Mr. John Smith, he gave him all imagin-
able encouragement ; and prevailed with his father to send
him for some time to his house in Lincolnshire, that he
might assist him in those studies. Here he laid the foun- ^
dation of that dee|) and extensive knowledge, for which he
was afterwards so deservedly famous. He removed from
thence to London, ^md was sent to St.PauVs school ; where
also be made a great progress in classical learning ; yet
found so much leisure as to keep a constant correspondence
with his uncle, not only in mathematics, but also in meta-
physics, philosophy, and divinity. This fact is said to
have been often mentioned by professor Saunderson. His
next remove was to Cambridge; where, April 6, 1699, he
was adnajtted of Trinity college ; ^nd at Michaelmas 1705,
after taking his first degree in arts, chosen fellow of it.
He was at the same time tutor to Anthony earl of Harold,
and the lord Henry de Grey, sons of the then marquis
(afterwards duke of) Kent, to which noble family Mr. Cotes
was related.
January 1706, he was appointed professor of astronomy
and experimental philosophy, upon the foundation of Dr.
Thomas Plume, archdeacon of Rochester ; being the fii*st
that enjoyed that office, to which he was unanimously
chosen, on account of his high reputation and merits. He
took the degree of M. A. in 1706 ; and went into orders in
1713. The same year, at the desire of Dr. Bentley, he
published at Cambridge the second edition of sir Isaac
Newton's *^ Mathematica Principia, &c.'* and inserted all
the improvements, which the author had made to that time.
To this edition he prefixed a most admirable preface, ia
which he expressed the true method of philosophising,,
sbev^ed the foundation on which the Newtonian philosophy
I WalpoU't AnecMeff, aad Bdwsrdt's Snppleinnil;
cotes: 3od
was built, and refuted the objecti6ns of the Cartesians and
all otjher philosophers against it. It may not be amiss to
transcribe a paragraph from this preface, in which the edi-^
tor has given an answer to those who supposed that gravity
or attraction, in sir Isaac Newton^s system, was in no wise
a clearer principle, and more adapted to explain the pbae-
nouiena of nature, thai^ the occult qualities of the peripa-
tetics; because there are still philosophers who persist in
the same supposition. Gravity, say the objectors, is an
occult cause ; and occult causes have nothing to do with
true philosophy. To this Mr. Cotes replies, that " occult
causes are, not those whose existence is most clearly de-
monstrated by observation and experiment, but those only
whose existence is occult, fictitious, and supported by no
proofs. Gravity therefore can nevef* be called an occult
cause of the planetary motions ; since it has been demean-
strated from the phenomena, that this quality really exists.
Those rather haye recourse to occult causes, who make
vortices to govern the heavenly motions ; vortices, com-
posed of a matter entirely fictitious, and unknown to the
senses. But «h^ll gravity, therefore, be called an occult
cause, and on that account be banished from philosophy,
because the cause of gravity is occult, and as yet undis-
covered ? Let those, who affirm this, beware of laying
down a principle, which will serve to undermine the foun-
dation of every system of philosophy that can be establish-
ed. For causes always proceed, by an uninterrupted con-
nexion, from those that are compound, to those that are
more simple ; and when you shall have arrived at the most
simple, it will be impossible to proceed farther. Of the
most simple cause therefore no mechanical solution can be
given ; for if there could, it would not be the most simple.
Will you then call these most simple causes occult, and
banish them from philosophy ? You may so ; but you must
banish at the same time the causes that are next to them,
and those again that depend upon the causes next to them^
till philosophy at length will be so ' thoroughly purged of
causes, that there will not be one left whereon to build it**
The publication of this edition of Newton's Principia
added greatly to his reputation ; nor was the high opinion
the public now conceived of him in the least diminished,
but rather much increased, by several productions of his
own, which afterwards appeared. He gave a description
of the great fiery meteor, that was seen March 6, 1716,
310 COTES.
ivhich was published in the Phil. Trans, a little after hiir
death. He left behind him also some admirable and judi-*
cious tracts, part of which, after his decease, were pub->
lished by Dr. Robert Smith, his cousin and successor in his
professorship, afterwards master of Trinity college. His
f' Harmonia Mensurarum,^' &c. wa^s published at Cam-
bridge, i722y 4to, and dedicated to Dr. Mead by the
learned editor ; who, in an elegant and affectionate pre-*
face, gives us a copious account of the performance itself,
the pieces annexed to it, and of such other of the author's
works as were unpublished. He tells us how much this
work was admired, by professor Saunderson,